Kiss Him

Omegaverse

Craig

Part Thirteen

After we showered, Nathaniel threw together some sandwiches while I packed a small cooler bag with some beer and water. We took our goodies out to the beach and spread out a huge blanket over the packed sand. There was a cool breeze coming off the water, but the sun was bright in the sky and its warm rays made it bearable. As we ate our late lunch side by side on the blanket, I caught Nathaniel staring off across the water with a divot of stress between his eyes. I suspected where his thoughts were, but as much as I wanted to help him with the emotions he was still dealing with, I was reluctant to ruin the calm we'd managed to find with one another. So I searched for a safe topic I figured could get him to relax again and get out of his head. "You make good sandwiches."

He spun his head so fast I thought it might spin off, then he smiled. "It's about the only thing I'm good at."

"No no, you are good at many things." I said, while raising my brows.

"You're only talking sex, right?"

"Stupid, no. There's so much more."

"Huh," he let out with a puff of air. "What more is there?"

"I'll give you a list. One, you're good in bed. Two, you're good in bed. Three…."

He slapped his sandwich down on the paper towel and pointed a finger at me before freezing in his tracks. "....Wait." I couldn't hold back a snort as his face went through a myriad of emotions as he realized I'd been teasing him. He finally rubbed his face with his hands before pulling them back to reveal a sheepish expression.

"Just everything Nathaniel. All of you. Every bit of you, inside and out."

"Sorry." he said.

I nodded and leaned up onto my hands and knees to rub noses with him. "I was trying to distract you from whatever it was that put you in a funk a minute ago," I admitted softly. "Where did you go?"

His hands came up to cup my face and his eyes softened as he gazed at me. My stomach flipped around. The man was fucking beautiful and he was looking at me like I was the center of the universe. I could get used to being on the receiving end of that look. "Wherever it was," he murmured, "I'm back now. With you."

"Good." I kissed him gently for a minute before sitting back and picking my sandwich back up.

Then I heard a familiar voice. You couldn't miss it even if you tried. "It's Marcus." Nathaniel muttered.

"Sure is, that guy is everywhere," I mumbled, then smiled as I finally caught him and Walker with my two favorite tiny people, Nathaniel is my most favorite, obviously. "....hey guy's."

"We thought you'd be here." Marcus said around a smile and sat directly in front of me.

"We told you, idiot."

"I forgive the idiot remark, sit Walker."

And he did, like a fucking lap dog, its hilarious. "Hey my beautiful babies," I cooed, and brushed my fingers over Miles' tiny hand.

"They're mine." Marcus bit.

"Of course," I nodded. "What do you want anyway?"

"Got you both something." He said and pulled out a dark blue velvet box from the changing bag.

"What's this?" I asked, as I looked up at an emotional Marcus.

"Friendship bracelets," He mumbled while he sat opposite me and Nathaniel. "We're all friends and family."

"God, you've gone all soft." Then I snorted and immediately saw Marcus blush, to frown, then grimace. Only he could do all three at once, I thought.

"You want it or not? And there's one for you too Nathanial. So don't be a dick…..Craig." And there's the mouth. I guess he could do four things at once.

"Sure sure, thanks," I muttered and took the box from his hands. I opened it to see two silver bands one with my name and one with Nathaniel's, then I looked over at Walker and Marcus and saw they both had one each too. "Thank you." Wow, I thought. He really meant it and honestly I was never a sentimental guy, but this was nice….really nice.

"I get one too?" Nathaniel asked, shocked.

"Well yeah, you're with Craig so that makes you not only our friend but our family too." Nathaniel really was shocked. We spoke so much last night about families and he felt so damn let down by his very own. So this sweet gesture was enough to have his eyes filling up with tears.

"Oh, thank you," a cute little hiccup escaped him as he tried so hard to hold back his emotions and he had a lot of them. "....this means a lot, thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Now put them on."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I picked them both out and clasped Nathaniel's around his wrist first and held out mine. He hesitated briefly then put mine on for me. "They're really beautiful." I mumbled.

"Good good, glad you think so. Marcus was searching for ages for the perfect ones." Walker added and grabbed one of our sandwiches.

"I so was, I very nearly threw the laptop when I couldn't find enough in stock. But alas, we now have un-binding bracelets of friendship and love."

"Seriously, having kids has turned you into a mushy pile even more weird."

"Yep, don't care. I like mushy. Anyway, I suppose I should let you know me and Walker are going to my parents in a couple of days. Can you live without me?"

"I admire your honesty Marcus and yes we can definitely live without you for a bit."

"A bit? Well I guess we best not stay too long," he sniggers. "Can't have you being without my beautiful self for too long."

"So stupid." I rolled my eyes then leaned my head in my palm and looked at Nathaniel who was still staring at the silver bracelet. He definitely had more to say, but Nathaniel was still trying to get used to Marcus. He'd already gotten used to Walker because sometimes they don't stop yammering, but not so much with Marcus. I wasn't sure why yet and I wasn't going to bang on about it either, I'd wait for Nathaniel. He has a lot going on in his own life. He needed to think about a lot. So waiting wasn't going to be so hard, as long as he stays by my side so I can make sure he's always okay.

"....I really like this, thank you Marcus." Nathaniel mumbled, turning his gorgeous shade of pink.

"I'm glad," Marcus beamed. "I really want you to feel like one of us and be a part of our family. I always hated the idea of having my own family and when I met these two I was scared shitless. But now….well I'd never change a damn thing. Life is so scary, but there's always people who will be with you, even if you never thought there would be."

"I know that now, thank you."

"You are welcome…."

"Nathaniel?" Marcus froze when he was cut off and it had my eyes shooting straight for a voice I seemed to recognize and I saw a guy just standing feet from us. The guy I saw in the store before.

"Oh….fuck," Nathaniel muttered. "Rhys."

Oh fuck! I silently thought. That's the same Rhys? His ex? This...this couldn't be happening, right? "You surprised?" He said, sternly so that it almost had Nathaniel half off the blanket, ready to run. "I heard you were…."

"Don't!" Nathaniel shouted, right by my ear it started ringing, then I was almost off the blanket too. "....I need to leave."

"Nathaniel wait….." I quickly turned and tried to grab his arm, but he slipped away so quickly I didn't have time. Then I was up, I looked at Marcus and Walker and mumbled "sorry" and rushed away from them and that fucking Rhys guy. I left him there and you can guarantee Marcus will have something to say about it, yet at this precise moment I could only think of getting to Nathaniel and….I don't even know. Talk? Shield him? Do something, because he looked terrified and hurt. I guess he would do, he loved that guy, but was also very hurt by him too and if I was being honest, I was hurt too. Or maybe afraid? Afraid that if he's here he might try and get Nathaniel back. Me and Nathaniel were official, but not completely. He hasn't let me mark him, so right now it feels kind of like a lose lose situation if I don't deal with what's happening. I can't lose him, no way in hell could I lose him and definitely not to the ex who upped and ran when shit hit the fan. That's something I'd never do to him, not in a million years.

I grabbed for my phone when I lost Nathaniel in the crowds of people and as I thought he didn't answer, so I dialed Walker's. He picked up immediately. "Fuck! Craig, where are you?"

"Looking for Nathaniel, but I lost him in the damn crowds and he didn't answer my call either."

"That guy ran pretty quick too and got in a car. Marcus is livid, like I think he could go down for murder, its scary."

"Me too Walker. What are the fucking odds? Him being here?"

"Dunno, but I'm guessing on a whim here that certain people told him, maybe."

"His family?"

"Dunno man. Me and Marcus have packed up the bits and are now going to the car, we'll help you, so meet us by Jimmy's bar."

"Okay." And I hung up the call. I was afraid of so many things. I didn't like being afraid, of course. No one wants to feel that way, especially Nathaniel. I needed him to know that. I needed him to fully understand that I was feeling the way I was feeling because of him, so please don't be afraid. The beach trip, as short as it was, those kinds of things heightened how good he was with me, and he was the reason for every emotion and sensation churning through my body. There was no mistaking that, ever. There was nothing he could do to make those feelings just disappear. I have to find him, I have to tell him I love him, because we don't say it enough and please lets make us stronger…..before that guy gets to him and I….maybe lose everything. Now that's real fear.