Chapter Six

Cosmo

He hurt. He knew he wasn't dreaming because pain didn't belong in dreams, only the grim reality of his exhausting existence. What didn't hurt were the strong arms cradling him and gently checking to be certain that he was healing properly. He was so tired though, and while he could hear them talking around him, pieces were garbled, like they were coming from a long distance and muffled by a stiff wind.

Cold, he shivered and tried to sort out their words, but the only one that came ringing through clearly was Daddy.

Harley. Daddy's name was Harley.

Mate. Mates.

They'd seen and hadn't run screaming.

His mind whirled at the thought. Remembering other words now, too. They'd found him. Followed him. Wanted to help him get clean.

He needed to get clean.

The blood had dried rough, and his sodden clothes felt tacky against his skin, making everything itch and feel far too tight.

Daddy had asked a question, wanting to help him get clean.

That was okay, wasn't it?

They'd seen he wasn't weak. Seen him lay waste to those who'd wanted to destroy him. It was okay to let them help him now. Be soft for them. Be cared for.

Right?

He struggled with that for a moment, exhaustion, and disgust at his filthy condition at war with his need to be certain he'd proved himself.

In the end, the sleepy pull and need to let someone take over for a little while won out over pride and stubbornness.

"It's okay if Daddy helps," Cosmo relented, his words taking far more effort than he thought they should.

One set of hands held him steady, the other cut his clothes apart and peeled them away. It felt better to not have them clinging to him, though the filth and gore that had soaked through remained smeared all over his skin.

He tried to raise his head, even made a feeble effort to free himself from those muscular arms, but they held firm, and instead, lifted him and carried him across the room. That was okay, though just being carried past the lights led him to close his eyes again, blocking out the brightness and the flakes of dried blood that crumbled off his eyelashes.

The next sensation was warmth as water rained down over him, and still those powerful arms held him close, making him feel cherished in a way he hadn't since he was very young. Another set of hands rubbed soap along his skin, which was good, because when he raised his hand to help, he couldn't keep it from trembling and falling limp at his side again.

Twitching, he tried again, desperate to take part in getting himself clean, rather than simply laying still and allowing them to do it, but his body had different ideas, and refused to cooperate.

"I'm not helpless," he hissed, trying again, struggling as much as he could manage. "I'm not."

Forcing his eyes open, he sought the soapy loofa and with clumsy fingers tried to wrest it away from his mate, who finally relented, only to pull another one from somewhere and resume cleaning him. At least now, he could help, even if his fingers ached every time he moved them. His swipes along his skin might have been clumsy compared to his mate's, but managing meant it was okay to let them keep on helping him and right now, that was about the only thing he could do.

Harley

It was good to see their mate still had some fight in him, despite the tiredness that seemed to exude from him with every awkward move he made. Harley spent time making sure every little speck of blood got removed.

Harley also cleaned Nomad too, much to his amusement. It's not like you're gonna want to leave him, are you? The sarcastic tone got an arched brow, but he never complained.

"You're both clean, so give me two minutes to rinse myself and I'll help with drying." He spoke aloud so that Cosmo could hear the conversation, even though he looked a little confused, judging by his wrinkled nose.

Heavy-lidded eyes watched him as he quickly cleaned himself, then took the loofa's loop off Cosmo's palm and placed it in the dish on the self by the shower. Water off, Harley went and got towels. Wiping quickly at himself before doing the same to Nomad's back and legs. Again, he got the amusement coming from his mate, who continued to show no signs of letting go of Cosmo.

"Your turn, cutie." Starting at his hair, Harley stroked the curls and then down his chest and around Nomad's arms. He checked over the injuries which were healing, although they'd require food and sleep too. Seeing Harley couldn't reach underneath, he looked at Nomad. "We need to take him into the bedroom and lie him down so I can dry him properly."

"I can do it," Cosmo hissed, yet it held no power whatsoever.

Harley bit his lip to stop smiling and stroked a finger down the clean cheek. "I know, cutie, but Daddy wants to do it. Will you let me?"

The sigh was so big Nomad and Harley's lips both trembled, holding back the laughter.

"Alrightttt."

In the bedroom, Harley lay the softest biggest towel he could find on top of the fleece blanket that was on top of the bedcovers. Nomad hesitated for a long moment.

You're too cute.

Fuck off. Nomad's stare was full of the threat of retribution.

Harley grinned when Nomad finally laid Cosmo down and stepped to the side so Harley could finish drying the shivering boy on the bed. Cosmo rolled into the fleece blanket under the towel and tugged it into his face, sniffing it. His groan and the thickening of his cock forced Harley to work quickly and grab the bedcovers to cocoon it around their drowsy mate who had his face buried in the blanket.

Heart tripping over itself in his chest, Harley reached out and took hold of Nomad's hand squeezing to keep him from doing more than looking.

"Food, we could all do with some food."

Nomad gave his hand a returning squeeze. "I'll ask Rocco to get the kitchen to rustle up something."

"Cheese burger Daddy, with lots of cheese, so it's all gooey. I never got my breakfast," Cosmo said, his face and words muffled by the blanket, but no issue for their cat's hearing.

Nomad

It was easier to think about food than the man currently curled up on their bed, smelling better than cat nip and looking utterly adorable. There was no part of Nomad that would have considered he'd have this level of softness to him. Yet, here he was feeling as soft as Harley's fleece top he wore in the winter.

Strange.

He went down to the bar, checked in with Rocco and, seeing everything was okay, brought the tray of food back up to the apartment. No one commented that he'd ordered three meals. Or requested one to be more like the meals they did for the Littles.

Back in the apartment, he could hear Harley's voice, but it was too low to make out the words. He considered bringing the tray into the bedroom, then thought better of it. Cosmo could sit on one of their laps and get fed. His attempts at washing himself proved he had nothing left in the tank. Not that Nomad felt at all surprised due to what he'd witnessed. Cosmo was a force to be reckoned with, and his sassiness just added to the appeal.

"Harley, can you bring Cosmo through here?" he called, laying out the food on the table. He grabbed some soft drinks from the fridge and placed them next to the plates of steaming food.

Yep.

There was some discussion coming through the other room, then a deluge of pleasure came from his link with Harley, who appeared with Cosmo wrapped in the blanket, looking flushed with a halo of tangled blond curls adding to his appeal.

"Yummy," Cosmo murmured, sounding happier than before.

He snuggled right into Harley as he sat at the table, and Nomad took the seat next to them. He cut the cheesy burger into smaller pieces and offered it to Cosmo. Pretty pink lips parted, and he made snuffling and groaning noises as he closed his mouth. His eyelids dipped shut, and he munched away happily.

Nomad grinned at Harley and lifted his burger so Harley could take a large bite. A contented feeling settled inside Nomad as he took his time and fed both mates, enjoying the role of caregiver. Cosmo changed the dynamics and Nomad… liked it.

Harley laid a hand on his thigh, connecting the three of them as Cosmo licked some sauce off his fingers before poking his tongue out. "Daddy, burger pleaseee."

Nomad met Cosmo's gaze and he could see Cosmo had slipped into his Little space. The change was noticeable. His features were softer. The tension in his jawline from earlier was gone and there was a playfulness about his eyes. "Was Daddy too slow for you?"

He nodded slowly, as Nomad popped in the last bit of burger. A string of cheese stuck to his finger and Cosmo chewed and swallowed quickly before coming forward to suck Nomad's finger .

The innocent expression and the feel of his lips sucking on his flesh made Nomad harder than a rock. A wave of dizziness came with all the blood in him locating to his lap. He was the one to hiss next, when his finger came out of Cosmo's mouth with a pop, and he grinned sleepily. "Daddy, you taste so good, can I suck your finger ‘cause I's tired?"