Happy 2019 everyone! Queen of Air and Darkness came out a month ago! These were supposed to be one shots based on what I wanted to happen in the last book of The Dark Artifices, and even though it's out, here's some more Kitty . . .
"Kit, why do I feel like a counselor for hormonal teens?" Cristina asked bluntly, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward in her chair.
The two of them were lounging in her room. It was a warm afternoon and everyone else in the Institute was off doing their own thing. Cristina sat at her desk with a fairly thick book while Kit was flopped on his back on her pale pink duvet cover, his head hanging off the edge.
He didn't bother shifting from his position when he answered. "Because you are a counselor for one," Kit pointed at himself, "hormonal teen." His upside-down vision could catch Cristina's sliver of an amused smile before she returned to her reading.
His encounters with Ty had done just that— turned Kit's life upside-down. It was the third day since they'd been paired to do research on Annabel's activity in the Pyrenees Mountains and elsewhere, and Kit still hadn't felt more alive. Since then, Dru had set everyone up with different partners, claiming that no one had gotten any work done the first time. Kit had been assigned Tavvy duty twice now, though he wasn't complaining— the rest of the Institute's residents really did overlook how much fun the little seven-year-old could be.
But he wished he could have more time alone with Ty. Kit had had next to no chances to talk to the him privately. But he'd managed to catch the other boy's gaze several times—Ty seemed to have made it a habit of throwing quick smile Kit's way during meals or meetings, which did nothing but make Kit lose focus for the next several minutes. Other than that they'd barely interacted, and Kit's body ached because of it. He needed Ty, Kit realized.
Kit flipped onto his stomach and paused to let the blood rush down from his head. Cristina's bay window's curtains were pulled back and the sun was nearly gone now.
"Tina, what am I gonna do?"
"What do you mean?" she spun her chair back around to face him.
"If Ty and I—" Kit started slowly. "If we, you know, keep doing what we're doing, um, are we supposed to tell everyone? How are we gonna tell everyone? How am I gonna tell the Blackthorns and Emma? 'Oh you know you're brother? The one you're super overprotective about? Yeah, I've been secret kissing him and stuff behind your backs and I literally can't stop. Like it physically and mentally pains me to be away from him and you'll probably never forgive me or want me to live with you guys anymore and . . ." he trailed off at the sight of Cristina's wide eyes and realized he'd been ranting.
Cristina's face was a mix of concern and shock. "Well, you certainly never mentioned to your counselor that it 'physically and mentally pains you' to be away from Ty." She raise her eyebrows at him.
Kit let his head hang. "Physically, mentally, socially, nationally—"
"I'm not sure that last one counts."
"Look, Tina," Kit sighed in defeat, "All I know is that I die a little inside every moment I'm not with him. And dying hurts." He gave a fake pout.
"Kit, you and I know best that the Blackthorns and Emma are the most caring people ever. If Ty feels the same way about you— physically, mentally, socially, and nationally— that overrules any hate that they could have for you. They care about each other's happiness more than anything, and if you're the thing that makes Ty happy, they care about you, too. But if you want a proper answer on what to do, I suggest you ask Ty. You need to talk to him."
Kit stared at her, taking in her words, and jumped off the bed. "Thank you for your ever-valuable wisdom, my amazing counselor," he said, and saluted her before slipping out the room. "Your welcome!" Cristina half-shouted after him. Kit closed the door behind him and was met by a scowling Mark, who had just exited one of Tavvy's playrooms.
"What were you doing in Cristina's room?" he asked sternly.
"What were you doing in Tavvy's toy room?" Kit retorted. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but Mark scared him a little bit. Sure he had his faerie-like manners and misunderstandings of the mundane world, but after seeing him fight and train with the bow and arrows and his elf-bolt, Kit decided anyone would be a fool to not be afraid of Mark.
"I was playing with him. Tavvy's my brother. Last time I checked, Cristina isn't your sister," Mark said, disregarding Kit's attempt at humor.
"Just checking some research on Annabel," Kit lied quickly. Anything to get him out of this situation. He wasn't about to tell Mark that he visited Cristina for love advice and to vent his teen romance issues, especially that they concerned Ty.
Mark sniffed and passed Kit to Cristina's door. "Alright. Dinner will be ready in half an hour." Kit bit back a reply about sandwiches and headed down the hallway.
From the faint growl in his stomach, Kit could assume that if he walked into the kitchen right then, he could find someone— Dru, probably— trying to fix parts of the sandwiches that Mark had already prepared. Kit wandered around the Institute, and soon found himself in the Blackthorns' wing, coincidentally near Ty's bedroom door.
Like a magnet, Kit thought.
Kit came closer to Ty's door; he could hear music. Kit pressed his ear against the door and heard a familiar tune. His hand hovered inches away from the door, and paused. Should he ask Ty? Was it too soon to tell the other residents of the Institute? Was it too soon for there to even be something to tell them about? After all, all the two of them did was kiss. And Kit did say he loved Ty.
Kit's knuckles rapped the door. There was no response. Ty's music must have been too loud for him to hear. Kit gripped the knob somewhat tightly and slowly opened the door. "Ty?"
Ty emerged from behind a small wardrobe in the corner of the room. Shirtless, Kit realized. Ty emerged shirtless from behind the small wardrobe in the corner of the room. Kit felt the heat rising in his cheeks. Really? he thought to his body. Now he's gonna know that I'm severely crazy about him and—
Ty was gripping a gray shirt in his hand. "Yeah, Kit?" How could he seem so relaxed when Kit was tearing himself apart at the moment? Kit considered taking off his own shirt to even the playing field.
"I . . . dinner's almost ready," he said hastily.
"Oh." Ty's face fell a bit. "I'll be down in a minute, " he said.
"Actually," Kit blurted. Stop avoiding it. "I need to talk to you." He closed the door behind himself and stepped further into the room. Closer to Ty.
"What about?" Ty asked. Kit moved to sit on the edge of the poorly made thing that was Ty's bed. His heart hammered as Ty came to sit beside him, shirt still in hand, torso still bare.
"Us." At that Ty's eyes brightened significantly, sharp grey with rings of obsidian black and specks of emerald. Kit had to look away to the rug's fabric between his feet maintain self control to not lose himself right then and there. Focus. Half of him wanted to plead Ty to put his shirt on and the other half wanted to touch the other boy so badly.
"What about us?"
And Kit told him. He told Ty everything he expressed to Cristina, minus his pathetic rants, and more. He poured out the little details of his worries about the other residents of the Blackthorns knowing, not able to look up from the ground in fear that he wouldn't be able to finish if he was distracted again by Ty. He held back his feelings, though, unsure if this was the right time to voice them. When he finished, he kept his eyes on the rug, knowing the tips of his ears were probably bright pink.
Ty shifted on the bed. "Well I'm flattered you've thought of this . . . subject . . . this much," the other boy said. Here it comes, Kit thought. He hasn't given so much as a thought to telling everyone else of what happened and now I just seem pathetic.
"And— Kit look at me, please," Ty said softly. Kit lifted his head to face him. "I'm flattered you've thought of this— that you worry about what everyone might think. I'm glad that you care what they think, too. It means you care about them. But, like I said the other day, I don't think I'm ready to tell everyone about it. One day, yes, but not now, with Annabel and the Cohort and everything."
"Oh, o-okay," Kit said, more ashamed than anything. He felt vulnerable, almost naked, even. He got up from the bed and headed for the door. "That's all," he said. That wasn't all. Why had he expected something more from this meeting? "I'll go now. See you at dinner."
"Wait," Ty said standing from the bed. Kit's hand hovered over the doorknob. He turned. "Wait here with me for a while?" Ty asked, looking at Kit with hopeful eyes.
The other boy came towards Kit. He dropped his shirt, and reached for Kit and pulled him close. "Why does it always take so long for us to get to this part?" Ty asked, and his lips met Kit's. Kit's body shuddered with longing and pulled the other boy closer, his hands resting on Ty's bare hips.
Ty pulled Kit towards the bed and pushed him onto it, groping beneath Kit's shirt. His hands were cool and sent another shudder through Kit as Ty ran his hands along his torso. Kit's shirt was off and they were skin to skin. Ty's mouth grazed Kit's neck, and Kit knotted his hands in the Ty's onyx locks. Ty kissed along Kit's collarbone and back up his neck to his jaw. Kit's body was exploding with feeling. Why did it take the two of them so long to get to this part?
Before Kit had a chance to reciprocate his feelings to Ty, the other boy undid Kit's belt and reached for the buttons of his jeans.
"Wait," Kit said, already breathing heavily. The two of them were a mess of hot breath and rumpled covers. Ty's fingers paused. "What is it?" He was panting from desire, too.
"We've never gone that far before," Kit said, a bit ashamed that he felt the need to mention it. "I don't think I'm ready to go farther yet."
Ty smiled his sweet smile and moved his hands from away Kit's jean's buttons. "Then we won't," Ty stretched up and kissed Kit. "Whenever you want to, we will."
They lay there for a while, kissing feverishly and twisting up and around each other, messing up Ty's bed even more. Kit marveled at Ty's body once again, the magnificent structure of slim yet sturdy muscle packed beneath his skin, the way it felt under his lips as he kissed it.
Ty slid his tongue into Kit's mouth and their kisses became sloppy, more groping and grabbing at each other than anything. Their need for each other was evident, and Kit never wanted it to end, but they couldn't.
"Ty . . . dinner," he made out between kisses, trying to up from under the other boy.
"It can wait," Ty said, pushing Kit back down, sucking at his neck and tangling his fingers in Kit's curls.
Kit wanted to live in this moment forever.
Okayokayokay guys I'm SO sorry for the procrastinating and the never updating and all of it! But I really appreciate the tons of encouraging comments you guys write on other chapters it really means a lot to me that people actually enjoy what I write!! All the love is reciprocated I love you amazing readers!
I rushed this one shot a bit so I could publish it on the exact one year anniversary of this account (today, January 7) so if it's a little off from other one shots, that's why.
I finished reading Queen of Air and Darkness not too long after it was published and OHMYANGEL that book was just UGH!! Any one shots that I publish in this work will remain SPOILER-FREE so don't worry if you haven't read the book yet, nothing is referenced off of it. I'd also really appreciate if the comments also remained spoiler-free with respect to the fans who haven't gotten a chance to read it yet. Thanks!
I am thinking about publishing a different fan fiction about Kit and Ty post-Queen of Air and Darkness, but nothing is for sure yet.
As always, comments and constructive criticism is welcome!!!