Chapter Nine

I've been training for this moment my whole life. In Landyn's opinion the only thing he was good at doing was caring about other people. As he looked around at the wreckage of the kitchen, he could see his current situation with his devastated mate was what he'd been preparing for.

"You need to sit down," he said calmly, stroking his mate's facial hair. "Your poor leg will be aching, and you need to eat. It'll make you feel better."

"He threw you into a wall." The words were guttural and if anything, the arms around Landyn's back tightened.

"I know, my wonderful mate, but he probably couldn't help it," Landyn soothed. Facing a literal giant in the kitchen wasn't how he'd envisaged his first morning with his mate would go. Landyn focused on what was important, or rather who was important. "Please, come and sit down. Do you have a dustpan and brush, or something like that handy? I'll see if I can clean up some of this mess." The cleanup with a dustpan and brush would be akin to building a pyramid with a nail file, but Landyn wanted to show he could be useful.

Hephaestus waved his arm, and the kitchen was put back to rights again – the window fixed, the wall looking as pristine as it probably had before Landyn had hit it, and all the pots, pans, and plates were clean and off the floor. "Well, that's super helpful." Landyn made sure he was wearing his best grin. "Now did you want to zap up your big chair again, so you can sit down for me?"

"Why aren't you upset?" Hephaestus did as he asked though, and Landyn felt better when his mate was sitting down. Hephaestus positioned him so Landyn was sitting on his thigh.

"Are you sure my weight won't cause your leg any problems?"

"My leg's fine. Landyn, I'm worried about you. You were unconscious for at least two minutes after you hit that wall."

The thing was, Landyn could feel how upset Hephaestus was through their bond, and his ferret let him know as well.

"Will it make you feel better if we just sat here and snuggled for five minutes?" He suggested. Hephaestus must've thought that was a good idea because he didn't seem to be in a hurry to let go, so Landyn focused on trying to soothe his mate by rubbing his temples and down the sides of Hephaestus's face with his fingertips.

Unfortunately, his actions didn't seem to calm his mate's thoughts. "Not even a full day as your mate, and I failed to protect you." Devastation was evident in every one of Hephaestus's words.

"Hmm, I know how you feel," Landyn agreed still working his fingers lightly over Hephaestus's temples and forehead. "My first day as yours, and I couldn't help you win a fight against one of your friends. I'm gutted about that."

"There was a big-assed giant in the kitchen! I didn't expect you to help me fight that."

"It didn't matter how big he was." Landyn would never admit he'd been terrified when he'd first seen Hephaestus's friend in his natural form. Sliding his palms down, so they framed his mate's face, he caught Hephaestus's eyes with his own. "I know why you two were fighting. Shifters have incredible hearing, and I bet your friend knew that."

Hephaestus groaned, his hands gentle as he reached up, plucking a bit of plaster out of Landyn's hair. "You got all grubby again."

"Washing my hair is easy when my mate has a bathtub." Landyn smiled. "Are you sure you're okay? From what I heard, and you even told me yourself last night, your friends have been in your life for most of it. I could feel your pain." He reached down patting Hephaestus's heart.

"I didn't expect Bronte's reaction to you." Hephaestus looked down, so Landyn started rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't understand his response to you being my mate – how negative it was. Why couldn't he be happy for me, for us?"

"We should probably feel sorry for him," Landyn said, and he was deadly serious. "Just think. He has spent more time alive than most and he's never taken the time to appreciate how wonderful people can be regardless of their size. Think of everything he's missed out on by looking down on people smaller than he is."

"That's your take on all this? A ruined breakfast, a smashed kitchen, yelling and fighting on your first day in this house, when you told me yourself you get anxious around big people…"

Landyn chuckled. "Anyone seeing Bronte in his natural form would feel the same way, believe me."

"Why aren't you demanding your own private island – a place where you can stay safe and not have to have anything to do with them or me?"

"An island like that sounds like a prison, and why would I want you to do that for me? I thought we decided one of the few things we have in common is that we both were prepared to give each other up, because we didn't think we were worthy of each other, and yet we are exactly who we each need. So, I thought we decided to stay with each other." Landyn watched his mate's face closely. "You do still feel that way, right? Or have your friend's words changed your mind about being with me?"

"You should leave me. This crap this morning has to go down as the worst first morning any mated couple has ever gone through."

"That didn't answer my question. Is that what you want? Do you want me to leave you?" Landyn didn't think he'd go very far, but maybe Hephaestus had a garden he could shift and make a small home in, so he could keep an eye on his mate.

"I don't want you to leave. I desperately want you to be with me. I've done nothing but think about you since I knocked you off your bike. But look what happened to you this morning. Not together twenty-four hours and you've been thrown into a wall – by someone I thought was my friend. My gods. What's going to happen tomorrow? Is the house going to fall down around your precious head because I've stomped too hard on the foundations or something?"

"I hope not. I'm rather partial to that bathtub and your bed is massive and comfortable."

"You're not taking this situation seriously." Hephaestus caught his wrists, thereby stilling Landyn's fingers. "My naked back should be flayed with the ends of a million cat's tails, and it still wouldn't make up for what I put you through. I should be suffering an eternal punishment."

"That sounds a bit extreme." Maybe my mate is prone to dramatics. Landyn wasn't sure – he still had a lot to learn about Hephaestus. And at the end of the day, it didn't matter. Landyn was good at dealing with the hand he'd been dealt. "But okay, if you feel the need to make amends, you can zap that platter of bacon and sausages I can smell to the table for me. That will save me getting up."

"You want me to zap food as punishment?" Hephaestus asked as the food appeared on a table that had been moved next to the red and gold chair.

"Yes. Please and thank you. I'm hungry, and I have a love of sweet crispy bacon. Here, you should have some, too." Reaching over, Landyn snagged a piece of bacon and held it up to Hephaestus's mouth. "Eat it. I don't have germs. I just had a wonderful bath." Landyn added a smile to show he was teasing, and after a moment, Hephaestus took the food and started chewing.

"See, this to me is what mates should be doing." Landyn grabbed a piece for himself and popped it into his mouth. "Oh wow, this is incredible. You're such a good cook. Here, do you want another piece? Or perhaps you prefer a sausage this time?" He picked one up, pressing it against Hephaestus's lips. "You know you want to."

Hephaestus took a bite, and then took the rest of the sausage, so Landyn's hand was free to grab one for himself. "This is the only way to eat, you know. I love that you cooked for me."

"The eggs got ruined. I didn't even know if you liked runny yolks or fully cooked ones."

Aww. My mate is trying, and after such a horrible morning, Landyn truly appreciated it. "I'm a runny yolk person myself, if we're having a fry up, although I love deviled eggs, too, and they're cooked right through. Hmm. I guess that means I'm just not fussy." Landyn grabbed two more sausages, passing one to Hephaestus and then picked up a piece of bacon and wrapped it around his sausage, before taking a bite.

"Oh wow." Landyn did a little butt wiggle. "This is decadence right here. Try it. You have to try it." He held up the bacon covered sausage to his mate. "Have you tried this before?"

"No." Hephaestus shook his head. "I have to say, in all my long life, I've never had a bacon-wrapped sausage waved in front of me before."

Landyn knew he was being teased, but it was all right. That's what mates did with each other, he was sure. "Here. You eat some. I'll make another one." He waited until Hephaestus took the sausage, and then made himself another one.

"You'll think I'm weird, I know people who've thought that before," Landyn said happily once his sausage was finished, "but I'm so happy we've already worked out what our special meal will be. On our first day together. Don't you think that's awesome?"

He saw Hephaestus give him a strange look. "You think bacon-wrapped sausages is more special than the steak you had last night?"

"Of course. I mean the steak was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but this is much more special, don't you think?" Landyn wiggled again. It felt good. Holding up one hand, he ticked off his fingers with the other. "You cooked this for me, specially. It's something you and I have never eaten before, so it's our first-first together. You didn't get grossed out by eating food from my fingers, which I am sure is a romantic thing to do, and…and…" He waggled his little finger, trying to think of one more. "Ooh, and this is our first breakfast of our mating. If we had beverages, we could make a toast to us sharing many more. Are you a coffee, tea, juice, or water person?"

"I prefer strong coffee in the morning." A large pot and a mug appeared by Landyn's elbow. "What do you prefer?"

Sighing, Landyn said, "I know it's all grown up and mature to say coffee in the morning. But seeing as you're zapping and it is our first morning together…" He gave his mate a side glance, noticing how Hephaestus's lips were twitching upward at the corner. "I haven't had a hot chocolate in so long. You know the tall ones they make at the chain stores, made with heated milk and they have the marshmallows on top?"

"Like this?" A tall mug appeared with thick fluffy marshmallows on top. The smell of chocolate hit Landyn's nose and he groaned.

"You are so good to me." He reached for the cup. "I promise I won't take advantage of your zappy powers. I'm sure that's not allowed anyway, but after this morning's unpleasantness this chocolate just hits the spot. You are wonderful, thank you so much." He took a sip and then another larger mouthful, his eyes closing as bliss covered his tongue. "Best breakfast ever."

Opening his eyes, he saw Hephaestus was watching him. "Do you know what happens now?" Landyn asked.

Hephaestus shook his head.

"Now we toast." Landyn handed Hephaestus his cup and then clinked his cup against his mate's mug. "To our first ever breakfast together. May we have many more."

"To an eternity of breakfasts together," Hephaestus said gravely, and Landyn grinned at him as they both took a drink. Landyn had a few more mouthfuls because he'd been genuine with his mate. It had been years since he'd enjoyed a hot chocolate and besides, there was something comfortable and cozy about sitting on his mate's lap, them both enjoying their breakfast beverages.

Hephaestus put his mug down first, and Landyn quickly followed, putting his almost finished chocolate mug on the table. All of a sudden he felt shy, but Landyn pressed on. "There's one more thing."

"Is this part of our special breakfast ritual?"

It made Landyn feel so much better that Hephaestus was teasing him.

"I think it's something that should be included as part of every breakfast we share."

"Eggs?"

Laughing, Landyn looped his arms around his mate's neck. "Kisses," he said quietly. "Do you think you might want to kiss me sometime in the future? Like now, perhaps?"

Hephaestus's eyes closed, and for a moment Landyn thought he'd overstepped, but then the god groaned, and Hephaestus's lips were on his, and Landyn realized he had a new favorite treat. Hephaestus tasted a whole lot better than chocolate. Well, they both vied for top spot, in Landyn's opinion.