Tobi (Male x Male)

Chapter 1 - The Gift

"Happy birthday, Matthew!" my mother chirped brightly, after opening the modestly carved oak door to find me on her doorstep.

"Thank you, Mother," I smiled, pulling her into an embrace.

She hugged me back, tucking her head contentedly under the base of my chin. I'd towered over her since a growth spurt I'd had at eighteen, and now she was only as tall as my shoulders. It was clear that my height and physique had been inherited from my father's side.

"Come in for a minute," she said, after enjoying the hug for a few seconds. "You're slightly earlier than we thought you'd be."

The distinctive smell of freshly picked roses reached my nose as I stepped over the threshold. I spotted the fragrant red blooms as I walked past a vase in the small entrance hall, following my mother into the family home that I'd moved out of two years previously. It was as cosy and welcoming as ever, decorated with trinkets and photos that held fond memories of my youth.

I lifted a few strands of her hair from the top of her head as we entered the lounge. Batting my hand away, she ducked out of my grasp.

"What are you doing?" she scolded in a mocking tone, grinning at me.

"It appears I'm not the only one getting older," I teased her. "I think I just found a grey hair."

"There's more than one," she confessed. "So, don't look any harder."

"When I'm standing up, all I can see is the top of your head," I responded lightly. "I don't exactly have to look hard to find them. Look, there's another one."

I moved my hand to point to the offending strand, but she backed off, laughing.

"If I knew that you were just coming over to insult me, I'd have told you to stay at home," she reprimanded me amiably. "At least you're not staying long."

"Happy birthday, son!" my father bellowed as he entered the room, arms out, and then pulling me automatically into one of his familiar bear hugs. "How does it feel to be twenty-one?"

I returned the solid embrace and he patted me on the back before letting go.

"Not much different to being twenty," I replied truthfully.

"It doesn't seem like twenty-one years since I gave birth to you," my mother reminisced, smiling. "You grew up so fast. We're so proud of the man you've become."

"That we are," my father enthused. "Not everyone is fortunate enough to be blessed with a child by the Andekas, and I couldn't be happier we were among those chosen."

I carried the reminder with me every day, since my name was a traditional name that meant 'gift from above.' My parents had wanted nothing more than to have a child and had strived to win enough favour with the Andekas to be granted their wish.

The Andekas were a large family that lived separately from the rest of us on an estate on the higher ground at the base of the mountains, known as the Kinnisvara. This great family were highly respected, partly because they circulated food, water, clothing, medicine and other necessities to the nearby towns and villages in exchange for hard work and allegiance. The work we carried out varied according to the needs of society, as well as within our skillsets and interests, and in return, we were well provided for.

We were also rewarded for our efforts with the gift of children, since the family were able to grant the ability to conceive for those that were loyal enough. Conception in our society was almost impossible without the aid of the Andekas, and many were so driven by their desire to reproduce that they would go to great lengths to be invited to the Kinnisvara so that they could be blessed with a child.