Khalis stared at his mother in disbelief, "What? No, I can't. I'm- OW! Fa!"
Faris responded immediately to his babe's call, wrapping him in a hug and holding him close without pulling him off the toilet. He had never liked it when any member of his family was in pain, and now, as he shared a look with Hephaestion, who was still situated in front of their son, Hephaestion could clearly see that his husband was in some amount of distress as Khalis sobbed into his shoulder. Finally, Hephaestion stood over Khalis to help his son clean up and then got him a cloth to put in his loincloth. After all was said and done, Faris lifted his boy up and into his arms, murmuring softly in Khalis' ear while taking him to the family room to sit on the couch, Hephaestion following closely behind. When Faris looked up at him from where he sat petting Khalis' long, curly hair, he could clearly see that his lover felt guilty. Leaning up just a little, Faris gave him a reassuring kiss on the mouth, his eyes clearly saying, "Not your fault. It was out of your control."
Giving Faris a watery smile, to show him that he had heard him but really didn't believe him, at least not yet, Hephaestion put a comforting hand on his babe's hunched back and then let it slide down and away from Khalis as he knelt in front of his suffering boy, quickly moving it up to his forehead to check for fever, because he remembered having a small fever in his first few months at the age of fifteen. Finding none, he pulled away, bending forward to be able to still be heard in a whisper.
"Do you want some herbs? I have some just for this. Oh Khal," when the boy answered in nothing but more sobs, "Babe…"
At that, Khalis shifted in his father's lap and let go of his neck, turning to stretch his arms out to his mother, who took him into his arms without complaint.
"I know, I know. It doesn't feel good, does it? It's okay, shh… Mam's here, Mam's got you, shh…"
"I do not want it! I do not want to be seen as a woman! Help me, Mam! I do not want it!"
"Shh… Wait a moment. No one will see you as a woman. Why would you think that? Do you think the people here see me as a woman, or Uncle Lutfi? We are just men with a gift, given to us by the gods. All right?"
Khalis had calmed a bit by now, or at least enough to steady his tears a little and speak his true fear, "B-but… the other boys will laugh… and take me before I can give my ultimate consent… Isn't that what you said Mam? That I had to give my consent, and that I could change my mind at any time?" Khalis' bright eyes and darker face were haunted as he stared off into space as he sat in Hephaestion's lap while Hephaestion ran his fingers through the young man's blacker-than-the-night curls.
Hephaestion smiled down upon his frightened son, proud of him, "I did say that, but only to protect you and your brothers. You see, I had that very thing happen to me at the hands of your true father. It was how you came to be, and I would wish that on nobody, not even my greatest enemy. I just told you all those lessons so you could be aware of such things, and so protect yourself against them. I just want you safe and happy, that is all."
"But this…" Khalis looked down at his belly, and his hands that had linked over it unconsciously, "this curse-"
Hephaestion bid him pause with a raised hand, his face neither happy or sad, "It is a gift. I realize that it does not seem so now, but it is. I can only hope that you will grow to see it as such, because I- we-" he glanced over at his silent husband briefly, discreetly linking their hands together where they lay on the couch in a show of love and trust, "-we love you no less than we did this night last, nor will we ever love you less. I hope you understand that, Khal."
Khalis looked up into the eyes that matched his own, relief visibly flooding his body, "I do, Mam."
"Good. Now, let us find those herbs for you. Come," and both parents and son went in search of what Khalis needed, as they always would, no matter the severity or the nature of the problem at hand.
