A Coalition Story

Family Weddings

The date had gone and went and ended in sex. So had the next, and the one after that, and the next few after that. There had even been a few hookups without dates connected to them. Unfortunately, Ravyn had discovered this.

"Hm, and you've had sex how many times?" she asked her cousin. He made no move to reply. Or make eye contact.

"Yeah, that's technically not just a friendship anymore, Cal." Her smirk was far too wide for his liking. The blonde muttered something incomprehensible (likely explicit, too) and pushed Ravyn. She cackled and shoved him back.

"You know you love me, Excalibur," Ravyn teased. 

Cal turned on her."I don't," the young man deadpanned. As swiftly as the sword he had been named after, Cal pushed Ravyn down to the ground and kept walking. Laughter echoed behind him, but he kept walking, even when he heard footsteps trailing after him.

"Oh, hey Torin," Cal greeted, his cheeks ever so slightly tinged pink, when his friend with plenty of benefits (not his boyfriend) fell into step with him. Torin grinned in reply.

"What'd Ravyn do to deserve your wrath this time?" he asked, a laughing lilt hidden in his deep voice.

"It's Ravyn. She didn't have to do anything," the younger man pointed out. Torin's grin grew.

"Fair enough." He paused. "Hey, I'm going to my cousin's wedding tomorrow, you want to come with me as my plus one?" he asked. Cal wasn't certain, but he thought that Torin sounded nervous.

"Are we serious enough for that?" the taller man asked, not wanting to move this relationship, not that it was a relationship, too fast. He loved the idea of going with Torin, but was their friends with many benefits situation ready for that?

Torin gave him a flat look, even if there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Cal, I've lost track of how many times we've had sex. We've gone on several dates, and frankly, I like you. Do you want me to formally ask you to be my boyfriend before I ask you to meet the family? Or do you want to keep things as casual as possible?"

Cal thought over his words in silence for a few moments. So, Torin did like him, surprisingly enough, and Cal knew that he liked Torin back. How could he not? But what surprised Cal most was the fact that Torin was ready to take this at Cal's pace. He wasn't up for the commitment, not with a disapproving family that would not take his potential relationship well if they ever found out. Cal didn't like the idea of emotional attachments either, but with Torin, it felt like it was worth a shot. He was special. The second-best assassin in their class (Cal, of course, was the best), stony, patient, and kind enough to indulge Ravyn's many antics. A combination like that wasn't to be brushed over, despite how much Cal wanted to run. But he could do this. He couldn't not do this.

"Yes," Cal answered at last, "I'll be your boyfriend, and yes, I'll go with you to the wedding." He paused, smirking to himself. "But Ravyn can't know yet. She needs to suffer."

A/N: Since this story started as a random one-shot and developed into a completed story over the course of 1.5 years, the first couple of chapters are pretty dang short. This story also skips from one main event to the next, and there isn't always a ton of explanation/development between. Again, this is mostly at the beginning of the story. Thanks for your patience! We'll try and get these chapters up quickly for you.