Khal had a hard time waiting in the hospital, but it was all part of the grand plan. He had completely healed by the first evening, and had to push a nurse to bring him a number of makeup supplies to make it look like the wounds were all ongoing. Through making eye contact with a number of makeup artists in the last several years, he had a pretty good idea of how to do his own makeup to look realistic enough that folks wouldn’t question his wounds. 

So every day, he reapplied the makeup, lighter and lighter to match the timing of a wound that was healing naturally.

The day that Rene came in to visit him, he found that happy old feeling of butterflies in his stomach. It was obvious that Rene cared so much. Khal still laid it on thick that he didn’t really have a place to go when he left, but he knew right away that Rene didn’t want him to leave, didn’t want to be away from him. He held Rene’s hand, and relished in that familiar flutter, and the greatest happiness he had felt in decades. 

They made it to Rene’s house that evening, where they found themselves immediately surrounded by news crews. Khal quietly steeled himself for what he was about to do. He wasn’t used to using his gift on crowds like this, but he knew he could do it. As they stepped out into the mayhem of dozens of cameras and microphones in their faces, he quickly began to look around, making eye contact with everyone that he possibly could. He pushed the thought into each mind to be calm and follow what he told them to do. It worked. Just as he knew it would. It was dangerous, as he was surrounded by cameras, and there might be someone who picked up on what he was doing, but he had to trust that most people would brush it off as fake. 

Rene was extremely impressed, complimenting Khal on his ability to control the situation. The questions were short and sweet, because Khal wanted them to be. Then, with a little push, he dispersed the crowd, and headed inside with Rene for some dinner.

They ordered delicious hibachi, and Khal found himself strangely ravenous. He was never hungry. The feeling was almost new to him after five centuries.  

Emory talked about her dream with the magic woman, and Khal knew beyond a doubt that she was talking about their goddess. It seemed that Aset was moving quickly with Emory. Khal was very curious to learn more, but he didn’t want to press it. He didn’t want Rene to worry about their goddess’ plans for sweet Emory. 

It was also at this dinner that Khal essentially confessed how Rene had wronged him in the past, how he’d left Khal for dead, and how Khal had still managed to forgive him. He was not amused by Ari’s inability to forgive such cruelty, as he knew that she would never forgive him if she learned the truth about what he’d done to Misha, but he did not force her to see his point of view. He wanted to give Emory the gift of having two parents who could think for themselves, even if he did still have a pebble placed inside Ari’s mind so that he could watch Emory and Rene when he wasn’t around physically. 

Emory mentioning how she could never forgive the man who had killed Misha was the first moment that made a pit of fear drop into Khal’s gut. Khal quickly spun what Emory had said in such a way that he painted himself, unbeknownst to them, as someone worth forgiving for Misha’s death. He knew that Emory would come to love him, as Rene did. As Rene always had. He needed her to know that she should forgive him, even if he had done something terrible. She seemed receptive to the idea, looking at him curiously, those eyes so full of wisdom beyond their years.

Rene, however, looked a little uneasy. Khal quickly squashed any sentiment Ari had on the subject. It was fine that she have a mind of her own, but she certainly didn’t need to chime in on everything. 

*****

Khal was startled to find that Rene had talked to Jeff Aquino’s daughter without him. He was angry that she had dared to come by the house, and hoped that she hadn’t placed any thoughts in Rene’s head that wouldn’t be easily fixed. He thought about going out to find her, about forcing her to change her narrative, but he figured it probably didn’t matter now. If she returned, he would take care of her then. 

*****

Khal decided it was time to truly give Rene gifts he had always wanted. 

The first gift would benefit both of them, as it meant that Rene would be around much more, giving them a greater chance of reaching that point. The point of turquoise eyes and pure love. Khal dove into the mind of Rene’s boss, Carl, and had him mess up big time, exposing himself for the money-stealing fraud that he was. Khal then used his financial influence to make an anonymous generous donation and a suggestion that the library give Rene Carl’s job, and all the benefits that came with it. The main benefit of course being that Rene would now work from home. 

The second gift was one that would benefit all of them, and a certain “fuck you” to Misha’s memory, as he had always been too allergic for them to get a cat. Just watching how excited Emory and Rene got when Khal showed them the little bundle of claws and blue eyes he had gotten from the humane society, made him positively giddy. He of course named the kitten after his beloved goddess, wanting to honor her in giving him this wonderful chance to reunite with his love. Little Aset made herself immediately comfortable in their little family, and Khal beamed as the others were beside themselves with happiness at playing with the new kitten. 

Khal only took one trip in the months between meeting Rene and the volcanic eruption of August 28th. He happened to head back to Wales, where he found the right orphanage, and learned everything there was to learn about baby Rene. It was a tragic tale, naturally, but when wasn’t Rene living a life of tragedy?

On the day of the eruption of Mt. Hood, something shifted inside of Khal. All of that death and destruction reminded him of Rene’s many many deaths, and how short his life always seemed to be. Khal was tired of waiting any longer. He had been so careful to keep an appropriate distance between them, to make sure no one mistook him for trying to move quickly on the poor widower, or take over Misha’s place in their family. It had taken all of his will to do so, but he did it for Rene, and for Emory. 

But as news poured in of the devastation, Khal could wait no longer. He needed those turquoise eyes. He needed that simple yes, and answer to eternity. He needed Rene to admit he loved him and would be with him forever. 

He was terrified that Rene would die, and leave him once more. 

So he made his move, and to his utter delight, Rene responded eagerly. Of course, this was followed by immediate hesitation, but Khal was expecting that. Though it didn’t make it hurt any less. Khal quickly set about making what had been Charun’s favorite meal of Tofu Makhani. He watched in amusement as Rene responded to it just like Charun used to, a look of pure bliss upon his face. 

One thing led to another, and Rene finally relaxed and gave in. By that afternoon, they made love for the first time in Asim’s current form, a delightful carnal session that had Khal grinning all the way to the shower. Of course, right after this, Rene made Khal promise that he wouldn’t tell anyone just yet. That it would be their little secret. This was okay with Khal, for now. 

Days passed where they spent time raising money and goods for the survivors of the volcano. Khal ended up donating 3-million dollars of his own money, a drop in the bucket of what he was really worth. Rene was unaware of who the money came from, of course. 

In the beginning of September, Rene, Ari, and Khal decided to take Emory around her birthday to Mt. Hood to bring much needed supplies to the locals, something she had been very adamant about wanting to do. After they had all agreed on this, Ari headed out to go pick up Emory from summer camp. Khal, who had decided that day that he had waited long enough to share his relationship, pushed Ari to forget her keys and return for them. Of course, she returned at the exact moment that Khal had swept Rene up in another one of their passionate kisses. 

Ari wasn’t too happy at first. Khal watched her bitterness play out with Rene as they stood outside. He let her have her opinion. What was life without a little disagreement? As Rene came inside, shattered from his conversation with Ari, with her inability to recognize their happy relationship for what it was, Khal discovered his chance to admit the truth he had wanted to admit from the first day he met Rene. 

Khal loved him. He had always loved him. From the moment they had first held hands together as newborns in their very first life, Khal had felt a special connection toward Rene, toward Asim, that he had never felt and would never feel for anyone else. Even his lover, Jarrah, in Australia didn’t compare. 

Of course, he left out most of the details, but he watched with glee as the resolve spread on Rene’s face. The resolve to keep this relationship, to grow within it, and become stronger together. Even with Ari’s disapproval, Rene knew that he wanted Khal, and Khal was more than happy to return that sentiment. 

Of course, as Khal monitored Ari’s unease at the relationship, he pushed a little thought into her mind over the next few days that everything was fine. That she shouldn’t worry so much. And that Khal and Rene were meant to be. Why let her stress out when she didn’t have to?

*****

Khal was ecstatic when he heard Emory get out of bed one night and tell Rene what their goddess had told her about Rene and Khal. To hear that their goddess was so pleased for them to be together felt like such a blessing. To hear Emory agree that she was happy for them both was nearly as special. 

Khal grinned from his position hidden down the hall, listening in on their conversation. Emory had mentioned marriage, and for the first time in his life, Khal realized he actually had the chance to be in holy matrimony with the man he loved above all others. What a blissful thought. 

Khal began to imagine more of what their future could be. He knew Rene had just paid off his house with part of Misha’s life insurance policy. Rene had set aside the chunk of money left over for Emory’s future, specifically her college fund. 

Khal occasionally looked into his wealth and assets. It was ridiculous, the amount of money he was worth. Money he couldn’t spend in 10,000 lifetimes. Of course, he couldn’t spend a significant portion of it on Rene, or he would definitely become suspicious, and Khal wasn’t ready for the big conversation about who he really was yet until they had been established for a little while longer. 

Khal looked into houses that were in the city, so they wouldn’t have to move away and Rene, Emory, and Ari wouldn’t have to uproot their lives. As much as he was used to being on the move, he knew that the three of them were well settled in their city. He found a house that immediately caught his eye due to its beautiful turquoise paint job. Khal looked into it, and decided it was large enough to suit them all. Give it time, and he would have them living in a palace, but for now, a house that could house all of them easily with room to spare would be more than enough. 

He waited until they were at the airbnb by Mt. Hood to spring the question on Rene. Though he had expected some hesitancy, Khal was completely caught off-guard by Rene’s response to him bringing up the new mansion he wanted them to move into. He thought being vague enough about where he was getting the money would be okay for now, but it was clear that Rene was unsettled. 

He even looked scared. Khal quickly dropped the subject, pretending that he was totally fine with waiting for Rene to give him an answer. In truth, that old anxious feeling had settled into the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong. 

Later, they sat looking at the damage to the mountain. Emory mused on another dream about their goddess, where she had spoken about what truly happened to the victims on the mountain.

Aset had explained how the Lava and ash cloud were so fast and hot that the victims had no real time to suffer. Aset also spoke about how the victims would be cared for in the afterlife, presumably by her. 

Khal was both amused, and if he was being perfectly honest, quite jealous that their goddess always seemed to visit Emory and never him. He had been waiting for centuries to see her again. 

It was immediately clear that Rene was anxious about what Emory had said. A shame that he couldn’t understand. But Khal quickly attempted to calm the situation by suggesting they head home. When Emory blurted out that she didn’t know Khal slept, he broke into a nervous chuckle that he hoped came across as just amusement. It was true that he pretty much never slept, but he wasn’t ready for them to know that just yet. 

They made it home that evening, and Khal was pleased to see that his new electric tea kettle had arrived. He was always down for some tea, even when he didn’t need it. He ordered special blends from Egypt. Blends that reminded him of home. 

Feeling curious when they went inside, despite seeing Rene frowning and scrolling on his phone, Khal couldn’t help but ask if Rene had thought more about his proposal to move into the mansion. When Rene mentioned how he needed more time as he was currently more worried about Emory, Khal messed up by pointing out that Emory would be fine. That she would survive what was in store for her. Khal had suspected for months now what their goddess wanted with Emory, and the words just slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. 

Rene was immediately upset. Khal would have given anything to take those words back, to make it so that moment never happened. It was too late. Rene went to bed, with the firm suggestion that Khal sleep on the pull-out couch. 

A number of things happened that night. Khal heard Rene crying in his room. Later, around 3am, he heard Rene scribbling in his notebook. When he was certain that Rene had fallen back asleep, Khal went and grabbed the notebook and read the latest entry. Entries. Rene had also apparently scribbled down the dream he’d had at the airbnb.

Khal’s suspicions were confirmed. 

Their goddess was going to use Emory as a vessel, or already had. He was curious why Rene couldn’t see it. Why he didn’t understand that he was speaking to Emory and Aset in his dreams. Perhaps he was in denial. 

Their goddess, or perhaps Emory, had then shown Rene the disturbing memory of Cody where he betrayed Khal, getting ready to bury him alive…

Khal carefully returned the notebook, and stood, watching Rene sleep for a bit. He looked so sweet, so innocent, just lying there resting. But Khal knew how dangerous he could be. How fast he could turn. 

Khal needed to tread carefully. 

Chapter 42 – Push