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Adrian
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Even though it's not like we haven't made breakfast together before, this morning feels a bit different... The way Silas seems to need to hold me while we do everything from beating the eggs and vanilla together to cutting up the strawberries we rescued from the bottom drawer or the fridge seems more intense than it usually does. I'm kept nestled against his chest, maybe more for his benefit than mine today... The way he keeps me close though offering comfort to the both of us as we avoid talking about what happened yesterday... As we try to avoid even thinking about it do that we can just take the morning to run off some of the stress that's weighing so heavily on our shoulders... Even if it might not be safe to actually go for a run after yesterday.
"Hey...", Silas's voice spooks me out of my own thoughts just enough to jump a little bit before tilting my head and turning in his arms just enough to see his face as he plates up our French toast, "I don't say it enough... But I love you, Princess... And I love our little nugget too... And I'll do whatever I have to do to protect you both."
Daddy's words leave me chilled, and I can't help but turn the rest of the way in order to wrap my arms around him before I say, "I appreciate that... And we love you too, Daddy... You're going to be the best father just like you're the best mate... And please know that I'll do whatever I can to protect you too, even if you don't think you need protecting."
I add in the last bit just as he starts to protest and tell me that it's not my job to protect him... But the thing is... It is my job to protect him... Or at least to do the best I can to... To protect him and to help protect our baby, our pack, and our territory... And it feels important to make him realize that... To make him understand that it doesn't just fall all on his shoulders.
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Silas
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Somehow... Addy always seems to make me emotional whenever I least expect it...
Even though I know from his thoughts and tone of them in his mind that he feels just as protective of me as I do of him... It still chokes me up to hear him say so out loud... To hear anyone say so out loud...
Because no one has ever thought that I need protecting before him... Everyone just assumed that I'm strong enough to deal with most things on my own... That I've always been strong enough... Even when I was just a kid...
Even Liam... He helps me so much... But it's mostly to help the pack run smoothly and to save us both stress... Not because he really thinks I need the help or the feeling of being protected...
Part of me wonders if all Alphas get treated this way... If all of us crave the feeling of vulnerability that we rarely ever actually get to express... And for what? Just because we're meant and made to be the leaders of our packs...
It's exhausting...
I'm not sure if the tears come because Addy is sweet enough to say out loud that he really does have my back... Or if it's because the thoughts that back up his statement are so kind...
But either way...
Our breakfast seems to be finished off with the seasoning of my tears as my arms close around my soul mate just a bit tighter than they were before... Our standing arrangement becoming an actual hug while we linger in the kitchen next to the counter instead of sitting down... Addy snuggles me so intensely that it helps take some of the pressure off of my shoulders... My emotional release coming on without guilt or fear of being judged...
Just pure comfort being offered to me as my mate gives me exactly what I need, not complaining when I take it from him.
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Adrian
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Silas only cries for a few minutes... But it's a few minutes that I think he actually really needs, and I do my best to make sure that he knows he is welcome to take as much time as he needs to let out all of his emotions... Even the ones that he's been holding back for so much longer than just yesterday... The ones that have been festering and hidden for years...
Because I love him... And even if I didn't I would still be right here, offering him a hug and a shoulder to lean on so that he has a moment to be weak... Especially when it's so clear that after the stress of yesterday he needs someone to be weak around... Whether that means hiding under the bed with his wolf or shedding some years before breakfast... "I'm right here for you, Daddy. And I always will be... Okay?"
"I-I'm sorry, Sweetheart... I don't mean to be a cry baby right now... I-" the sigh Silas gives before responding to me is only able to be outshined by the gasp I give over his words... A gasp that silences him long enough for me to pull away from our embrace just enough for me to look him in the face with the sternest look I think my eyebrows and lips have ever actually managed.
"You. Do. NOT. Apologize. For. Needing. To. Cry. Not to me. Not to anyone. Do you hear me, Silas?" I do my best not to let my words come out too harshly, but it's hard to find the right way to soften them without feeling like Silas might not think I'm being as serious as I actually am, "You are allowed to cry wherever and whenever you need to, Love. You might be a wolf... But you're also human too. And you have just as many emotions as everyone else does. You are entitled to feel them whenever, wherever, and however you want as long as you aren't hurting anyone else."
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Silas
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It's hard to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of Adrian setting me straight... But then it occurs to me... His whole point is that I don't have to keep a straight face... I don't have to hide the fact that his words make me want to start crying all over again...
I don't even have to hold back tears.
And I can't help but feel grateful... And so fucking loved that it causes my chest to physically ache in a whole new way that it wasn't before... And I can't help but appreciate the loving man that I've been blessed with as my mate... The man that has allowed me to fall for him and love him... The gentle omega who loves me back... And loves me back so intensely that he trusts me with all of him... Even his desire to have a child... Something I know not to take lightly...
My Addy-Baby is so much more than just my soulmate...
He's my family...
And I love him so much it hurts.
I just want to wrap him up in my arms and keep him there, breakfast be damned and saved for later... Which is exactly what I do.
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Adrian
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I'm not exactly expecting my sweet strong Daddy to crush me so tightly to his chest... But it's just as welcome as the kiss that follows it, his lips tasting of tears, sorrow... And the unadulterated unconditional love that flows between us... His cheeks are wet, eyes closed, and heart so open that it nearly overwhelms me with how vulnerable he's letting himself be...
Even if he thinks this is him being weak... To me... He's showing me the strongest parts of himself...
The parts of him that want to crumble but seemingly refuse to...
The parts of him that he hasn't ever had the chance to show anyone else...
The parts of him I'm not sure he would show anyone else even if he felt able to... Just for the sake of maintaining his loner status...
And I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell him just how much I appreciate his vulnerability and everything that comes with it... All the tears and all the emotions... Everything... Even the too-tight hugs.
But I do know that I have the rest of our lives to try and find the right way to express how much I appreciate the way he trusts me... And how much I trust him too... And I know that he"ll be more than responsive and ready every time I need to whisper against his lips, "I am so in love with you, Daddy... Please don't ever forget that."
It may be a little awkward with the kiss, but it still feels so heart-filling... Just to say it... Just to let him know...
And just to have him say it back after our lips finally separate, "I love you too, Princess."