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“It is not only that he is not of noble birth,” Titan explained.

“It is not even that he is part human. We must remember that he is the son of the Great Slut. This is of no consequence to me, of course, but the Great Slut’s reputation is known from the sandhills of L’l^y^zz, to the banks of the B§πT’a sea.

There will be judgment to be faced and ridicule to endure once this is learned among our people.

It will not bring Father pleasure to know that my offspring have slut blood. ”

“Your father should not have worry over your slut offspring.” He patted Titan’s shoulder, a human gesture of comfort.

“What should matter most is that their slut blood comes from the admirable and revered human ambassador to Darvrok 6—the one you have chosen to love. If your father has love for you, he will accept this.”

Titan frowned down at his own lap.

“Does he have love for me?” he asked quietly after a pause. It was a vulnerable question that left him exposed, but he found that he very much wanted an answer. “Or does he only value me when I behave greatly? Not when I am simply myself?”

“If he does not value you when you are yourself, young Titan, then perhaps he is the one who lacks value.”

Titan wanted to be reassured, but it would have been a lie to say that his fears were entirely quelled.

Until he had met Ezra, his sole motivation in life had been to garner his father’s approval.

It gave him anxiety to consider what he was meant to do—and who he was meant to be—if he were to lose it.

“For Ezra, it is worth the risk,” he said aloud, speaking to his own fears, but Kyle nodded sagely in agreement regardless.

“This is the correct answer,” he said. “For Ezra, and for your offspring as well.”

“I have gratefulness for you, Kyle. You are a wise being. I hope that my father proves himself to be more accepting than my apprehensions lead me to believe.”

Kyle began to say something, but was cut short by the return of Secretary of Defense Buttons, who sauntered into the room and came to a stop directly in front of the two of them. She sat down, her tail curled around her side, and said in a clearly concerned tone, “Meow.”

“What?” Titan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Several throw pillows were knocked about in his haste and tumbled to the ground.

“Secretary of Defense Buttons, are you certain?” Kyle asked, similarly alarmed.

When Secretary of Defense Buttons meowed in the affirmative, Titan looked helplessly in Kyle’s direction.

“Why would Ezra not tell me he was in labor?” he asked in a panic. Without conscious thought, he brought one hand to his hair and threaded his fingers through it, gripping it at the roots.

“Perhaps he does not know this is what is occurring. Secretary of Defense Buttons, did you tell Ezra that you smelled this change in him?”

“Kyle, Ezra may share Darvrokian blood, but he does not possess our skill for language. You know he cannot speak to Secretary of Defense Buttons as we can. If he truly does not know this is what is occurring, then I must go to him. I must go to him even if he does have awareness of his condition. I do not understand why he would hide his pain from m e.”

“In my time spent in his company, I have learned that Ezra is a private being. It is possible he found it difficult to relay this information.”

“Well, he has no choice now. If my sweet Ezra is in labor, then I must be there to help him. Secretary of Defense Buttons,” he said to the cat urgently, “where was Ezra located when you last encountered him?”

“Meow.”

“Many thank yous.”

Titan gave her a quick but pleasing stroke between the ears, then exited the room with haste in the hopes he would find Ezra where Secretary of Defense Buttons had said he would be—in the kitchen.

It did not take long to arrive.

Once there, he paused in the doorway to observe what was going on.

Ezra was indeed there, just like Secretary of Defense Buttons had claimed, one hand braced on the countertop made of the Earth rock “marble,” and the other cradling the swell of his belly.

His body was hunched, his face screwed up in an expression of severe discomfort, and Titan could tell from the redness of his cheeks that he was holding his breath.

“You must breathe,” Titan said once he realized what was going on. “The pain will become worse if you deprive yourself of oxygen.”

His presence must have startled Ezra, as his head shot up and he made a soft noise of surprise.

“Titan,” he said in a strangled voice, eyes damp and wide with fear. He choked back what sounded terrifyingly like a sob, and whispered, “ Help me. ”

Titan was on him in an instant, taking his full weight into his arms. Not for the first time—although with more passion than usual—Titan lamented the fact that his human form did not allow for the proper number of appendages.

He could have held his beloved so much more securely with four ar ms instead of two.

No matter; he would have to make do.

“Something’s wrong,” Ezra whispered, voice strained and afraid. “Something’s wrong with me. Wrong with the babies. I… I don’t know what’s happening. I’m scared.”

“Nothing is wrong, my sweet Ezra. Your body is preparing itself for the delivery of our clutch. Secretary of Defense Buttons analyzed your scent and informed me of this.”

“What?”

“Do not have worry.” He kissed Ezra’s temple, then pressed his forehead against the back of Ezra’s head, the hair there growing damp with sweat. “I am with you now. I will get you through this. You need not be alone.”

“You won’t leave me?” His voice was small and uncertain, causing Titan to cycle through a number of emotions in rapid succession.

Sadness for his love, that he might think of himself as unworthy of being cared for, and anger at the former lovers that had made Ezra come to this conclusion in the first place.

What he felt most of all, however, was determination.

“I will never leave you,” he promised fiercely. “I will be with you until the universe itself disappears.”

“That could be a pretty long time,” Ezra murmured, clearly trying to make a joke, as was his wont when he was overwhelmed.

“Yet still not long enough.”

When Ezra remained silent, Titan took the opportunity to scoop him up off the ground and hold him like a very large child—an action that, again, would have been made simpler with a proper number of limbs.

With his love secured, Titan kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “Come now, my love. It is time to meet our clutch.”