Reviews :
Emonekocindy : HI! I've missed you, welcome back to review land! Yeah, I've gotten a really positive reception about the smut chapters, so I'm preparing to upload them. I'll be posting the Ace/Nox one first, and I'll likely be doing that this weekend. So, wish granted! It's coming :D Thanks for sticking with me and for being so excited about everything unfolding, I can't wait to share with you guys everything that's on my mind!
Lyssdoodle : RIGHT?! It's my favorite thing ever, uhg. I cannot wait to write for Ralph and baby Gideon it's literally all I can think about. You think it's gooey and cutesy now...!
Burgie : Thank you so much! Yes progress is a must :D
Snake557 : Thank you so much! :)
Song Listened To :
Slow Grenade by Ellie Goulding & Lauv
*Chapter 8*
With easy steps, Boss's silent footwork moseyed from their humid, massive enclosure and into the more airy palace lot. Although it was nighttime, the grounds were littered with adorable, late summertime fireflies. Through the thicket of jungle trees that lined half of the back side of the palace lot, Boss nervously took an odd turn he was not used to, a large, paved path that lead straight to Orion's tower. A proper addition to the palace lot, Tessa's handiwork, Orion requested a spire of a tower added to the side of the palace lot about half way between the bend of the flyer's enclosure and the Great Hall, a beautiful spire that could be seen from Sugar Rush's entrance. Although this tower could only be accessed from inside the lot, it was still tidily tucked away deep into the thick trees that previously acted as the flyer's stomping grounds. Due to his breed, Boss's eyesight was already pretty terrible, though his huge bat ears held pricked to detect sound. Once he happened upon Orion's massive tower, the gaping entrance that obviously lacked a door of any kind, Boss inhaled a shaky breath and sought to let himself inside.
Although not needing any furnishing or anything of the sort, Orion's tower spiraled along the inner wall in a hefty stair case of a climbing wall that really only chameleon-like beings could climb, being him and Royal. Boss took a readied stance, sprawled his wings and began to loft his way up to Orion's perch, which kindly illuminated light. Much like Orion's past, he previously was keeper of Sugar Rush's cities. Upon his previous death, it was Turbo who took over the roll of the unified mega city that Orion City was. Due to Turbo's little gaps of absences, Orion happily took the position of Turbo's aid, much like Wren would be upon Turbo being crowned. Equipped with his own abode, his own shred of the code room, Orion seamlessly fell back into the swing of things. Boss's silent, careful wings approached the final landing of Orion's spire, a huge, six story tower that only had one landing floor at the very tippy top, making it impossible for anyone without wings, or climbing abilities, to easily gain access to. Upon request, Orion allowed the flyers to visit, only if they made their presence known via a little chime that was stationed right at the mouth of the landing's perch. Boss gingerly tinkered the chime with the wrist of his wing and awaited Orion's word.
"Royal, I swear to User," Orion grunted in tired, grandfatherly irritation; Boss flattened his ears in a sag of annoyed defeat and allowed his deep voice to gloss Orion's lovely, spherical, dome of a top-of-the-world perch.
"Wrong bat," Boss retort, he gently sagged past the secluded landing and could see Orion's large shadow cast against a far wall, it was clear he was getting to his feet.
"Oh, Boss, sorry," Orion ushered in a show of mild relief, he breathed a small laugh through his massive knife-like fangs and allowed his scales to gently sag back to their orange coloring upon Boss rounding the corner, "Phew. The brains of the operation. It's always nice to chat with you. What's up?"
"I'm not the only one with brains, in my pack, O," Boss stated with a cheeky little smile, little snippets of Lickity's feisty personality very easily surfaced, his gorgeous, dark brown, chocolate mane was fluffed and dribbled to beautiful pops of royal and cerulean blues, said coloring only glowed in further pride as he stepped into Orion's abode. Cozily sat about a few massive silver hologram displays, it seemed as if Orion was doing a small amount of work that Turbo had diligently designated for him. Orion grunted and returned to his sitting position on his side, his massive tail unfurled in a further show of relaxation as Boss cutely plopped to his hind legs and allowed his wings to sag; both beasts portrayed a proper amount of non-threatening stances, "I hope I'm not disturbing you. Glad I'm not Royal, to be honest. Thought you were going to throw me off of that landing, there."
"I wouldn't do that to Royal," Orion defended, though he huffed a chuckle and shook his head, as if to insinuate that the thought had definitely crossed his mind.
"... He really loves you, you know that, right? He talks about you all the time," Boss mumbled, and although he wanted to dance around this topic, he was glad to have the gentle, locked stare of Orion's big chameleon eyes. Boss allowed his ears to sag in a show of submission, to prove to Orion that he wasn't here to challenge him or get in his face, but to simply communicate, and though Boss expanded his rib cage to continue on, Orion grunted a raspy chuckle under his breath and eyed Boss in a narrow of cheeky retort.
"Would you be surprised if I told you the same thing?" Orion's deep voice glossed Boss's heart like a dagger of love, to which Boss raised his eyebrow muscles in a prickle of surprise. He huffed a shaky few starts of a handful of words, though Orion grunted a louder chuckle and got his hefty body in a rise to his powerful clawed feet. His lackadaisical tone carried on as he pushed through the silver holograms before him, and in his slithering, serpent-like sway of a cantor, he crossed his massive, dimly lit dome of a room and approached the gape of a window his tower was beautiful crafted with, a window nearly three times his size, "So, you thought you'd come up here and try and knock some sense in to me... Beg me to get more in touch with the son and grandson I never asked for, but was given anyways. Those boys know I care about them. Lickity knows I care about them. If it's not obvious, I'm not really the paternal type."
"So, your... Fling with Lickity?" Boss questioned tenderly, having never gotten the whole story from Lickity. He flattened his ears and peered to Orion's spine as he sat at the gape of the huge window, gorgeous scales that easily mocked Chester's lovely pelt, it was nice to finally put a finger on just why Chester was painted the way he was.
"Was animalistic, I was downgraded," Orion stated with a shrug, a lilt in his tone held a very palpable taste of sweet, nostalgic nonchalance, "She's beautiful, I was about your size, kind of like... Why not? She was begging for it, I think she was in season, or something. I haven't ever had action, y'think I was really gunna deny a beautiful creature that came flapping my way?"
"...Touché," Boss grumbled as he looked off, having dealt with a very similar situation to Lickity, though he softened the second Orion looked over his shoulder.
"I saved Royal the day the castle was nearly plummeted into The End... That boy knows I love him," Orion revealed, his grumbly voice was quiet and sure, though it crackled with the onset of returning to full-blown, grumpy irritation, as opposed to the soft side he hated to reveal, "I knew this conversation would rear its ugly head eventually, though... Truly I thought it'd come a lot faster."
"They need you," Boss mumbled sorrowfully, he narrowed his eyes and shrugged, "They finally have their dad, their granddad..."
"You really don't get it, do you," Orion hissed gently, he nearly gave Boss a small smile and peered deep into his eyes, from across the gap, "Sure, I'm Royal's father, but you're his dad. There's a huge difference... You guys have a bond that I can't touch, and... To be honest with you, Boss, I'm okay with that. I'm not technically an A plus family man."
Boss softened and allowed Orion's thick words to coat his heart, though he eventually eased a shy smile down to his paws and heaved a long, shaky sigh. Orion huffed a chuckle and began to saunter closer to Boss, which caused his ears to perk in curiosity, the powerful press of Orion's heavy feet eased across the gap, his grumbly voice reverberated about the dome of his lovely, dim lit abode of a code room.
"Look... I'm trying. In my stupid, downgraded self, I technically ASKED for this, but, all in one go, I didn't at the same time," Orion shook his head and eyed Boss in cheeky irritation, "I'm doing my best to now BE there for my child and grandchild. I come down from my tower, I spend as much time as I can with those boys without going insane."
"The hyper excitement will wear off, they just... Are thrilled you're here," Boss begged gently, "Everyone... Accepted that you were dead, and... Now that you're not..."
"I know... I'm trying not to take it for granted," Orion looked off and nodded, he finally eased a smile and shook his head in gentle surprise, "I'm genuinely shocked it's you and not Lickity coming to try and knock some sense into me."
"Well... It's harder for the males on the lot," Boss volleyed, he perked his ears a little in a rise of presenting dominance and now felt as if he needed to puff his chest, "I'm my pack's elder. Sure, Royal runs the show, but before you came along, I was the palace's all-seeing eye."
"I'm not someone you should be concerned about," Orion stated in firm cheekiness, he grinned and showed his fangs in a show of pure dominance that Boss knew he couldn't rival, "Trust me... If I wanted to tear your pack apart, I would... And no one would stand a chance."
Boss did what he could to not visibly swallow a gulp, and though he held his ground, Orion blurt a laugh and shook his head to carry on.
"Lucky for you, there's a shred of love in my heart for you guys," Orion stated with the dregs of a sighing chuckle, it seemed painful to admit, "I care about what Lickity and I created. If it weren't for me, YOU wouldn't have the ability to talk. I get why you think the tug between me, you and Royal is tense and weird, but I'm not looking to lead your pack. You guys are on a different level than I am. I hide away and take care of code room chores... You guys fly, and live, and run free. We lead different lives, and that's okay."
"Can't there be room for both?" Boss wondered, and though he was perfectly okay with Orion's absence, he now felt protective of Royal's heart, a male in which he had gladly taken in as his own, which now held a dollop of further permanence with Orion's very giving blessing, "Surely... You can leave this tower for a night, or two. Those boys so badly want to get to know you."
"I'm doing what I can at my own pace," Orion grumbled, his eyes aimlessly glossed his patiently awaiting code room work, "It's... A lot to swallow. You shouldn't be so worried about me, as your pack's elder. You should be worried about keeping your unit together, expanding, I don't know... Hunting."
"Expanding?" Boss questioned in a ping of cute, nervous curiosity, though Orion gave him a bewildered look of incredulousness.
"Yeah, I mean... I'm truly shocked you and Lickity haven't added to the pack. Trust me, I had that one singular night with her," Orion grunted, he shyly looked off and seemed overwhelmed, "I know it's not anything you probably want to hear, but I know she's no stranger to answering the call of nature."
"Sh-she's not," Boss huffed as his eyes dart about the floor by Orion's feet, though he largely flinched as Orion erupted in happy, nostalgic laughter; Boss beamed an irritated, embarrassed smile and flattened his ears, "Well, what of it!"
"Boss... Royal was programmed with one single swap, surely that bat is begging for more, ESPECIALLY from someone of her own breed," Orion sweetly suggested, a code between two males that this conversation were to stay strictly between them, his softer edges being something he never enjoyed revealing, "I know having a hybrid of a step-son is cool and all, and not to mention the mess of creatures that Chester is, but... Surely you'd love to truly father a thoroughbred pup of your own."
Boss sagged as Orion peeled away the thick layers of his heart, what was a heavy conversation centered around Orion now swiftly dug straight through the meat of it all and hit the root dead on, Boss sighed through his nose and allowed Orion's wise disposition to splay all over his fragile demeanor.
"I know this isn't truly about ME, my guy," Orion sweetly laid on Boss's heart, he eyed him in sneaking suspicion, "You're so busy wanting ME to father pups I never had a paw in rearing. You're their true father figure... I think YOU'RE yearning for that paternal bond. You already have access to it, and then some."
"But what about you? This IS about you," Boss desperately tried to correct, to which Orion grinned, shook his head and aimlessly looked off in further, volleying contemplation.
"It's not, Boss, it's not. Those guys previously accepted that I was gone, everyone KNEW what kind of a being I was. Sure, I'm back, and I give myself in ways I know how to," Orion stated gently, "I even talked to Lickity about all of this, cause she was worried this whole 'me living on palace grounds' thing would be awkward... She made clear she didn't expect anything from me. Our fling was just that... I wasn't even barely coherent."
"... An isolated incident," Boss mumbled in defeated agreeing.
"An incident that, sure, I'm responsible for in the form of a child I didn't help rear, it's not anything Lickity holds against me," Orion shrugged, "I really got lucky. She could've been banging down my tower, but she and I both know she's moved on to bigger, better things, a thing she wanted all along..."
Boss gently peered to Orion in soft, humbled curiosity, to which Orion's disposition sagged with a final dollop of secretive warmth.
"You," Orion grunted cutely, to which Boss inhaled a deep breath, nodded and shyly looked down, "Don't look so surprised over it, Boss. Look, I don't know your history... Those boys have me back, sure, but... They blab about you, to me, ALL the time. It's annoying, frankly. I feel like I know you better than I know myself. They need and want you... And so does Lickity."
"...Thanks, for this," Boss admitted gently, he continued to shyly look down.
"You're so concerned about me fathering pups that have grown and come into themselves," Orion trailed, his deep, grumbly voice officially gave Boss's shivering soul that final, loving K.O. it needed, "Methinks you should be getting with Lickity, about this concern. You seem to have a hard time finding your footing in your own pack, someone as hands-off as me was enough to make you concerned about the cohesiveness between the males on the lot... Assert yourself. Add to it. Father your own pup, and... I'll do my best to connect with Royal and Chester. Homework for everyone, except, yours sounds far more fun."
"Stop it," Boss grunted through a laugh as he flashed a smile across the room in a shy toss of his vivid blue eyes, Orion shook his head and got to his feet to press closer to his chore.
"Y'know you can yank that reign away from Royal, if you truly wanted to," Orion trailed in a teasing tone of scheming goodness, he eyed Boss as he walked by him, "You're bigger, older, and... Hate to say it, are mates with his own mother. Royal doesn't have a leg to stand on."
"I wouldn't do that to him," Boss mumbled, though Orion shrugged.
"Well, if YOU don't, certainly if you sire a male, then HE will," Orion pressed as he eyed Boss, "Look... I may not have a pack of my own, nor have I ever been apart of a hierarchy as such, but... I do know that you got insanely lucky with Chester's submissive personality. If he weren't such a bumbling, easy-going spirit, he'd have chased you away a long time ago."
"I think the ability to talk has helped us stick together, but... I did previously feel the tension with Royal," Boss mumbled, "Things are different now, we both have our place."
"Welp... I can see you're struggling with it," Orion prod, "Live your life, do what you want. Tell Tessa and Zed to bring down that firewall, or, hell with it, I'LL do it for you, if you want."
"... You have access to that?" Boss quietly questioned, his piercing blue eyes honed tight to the holographic display Orion began to busy himself with.
"Sure do, Mr. Boss-man," Orion trailed in grumbly, smiling sing-song as he waved about his claw and gestured to the code room controls he was in charge of, "Just say the word, my guy. You should start acting like you're in charge. It's literally your identity."
