Logan Mercier
"Prince Logan?" My new assistant said as she knocked on my office door. I had made the decision that it was much easier to hire someone to help me out with all the paperwork I had to do than trying to do it all on my own. It also helped that Diana had even been the first to offer. She was one of my mother's friends who wanted another job and I figured why not.
"Come in," I said, looking up to my door which swung open. Diana was middle-aged but still looked to be in her twenties with gorgeous long blonde hair and a warm motherly smile.
"Sorry to interrupt you, your highness." She said and I waved her off.
"I told you to just call me Logan, Diana," I said, leaning back in my chair and yawning. It had been a long day.
"Whatever you say, your highness." I rolled my eyes at her teasing tone and beckoned her forward. "So I took all your messages from today and I organized them into three piles. From Ace. Death threats and Death threats from Ace."
My lips twitched upwards as I tried to suppress a smile. Instead, I ducked my head and held out my hand which was immediately filled with pieces of paper to which had notes scrawled neatly on them.
I couldn't stop the smile that slipped past my lips as I read through them. "Ah, how lovely. He's truly spoiling me today."
Diana smiled herself and nodded. "He always does."
"Indeed." I agreed thinking of all the wonderful things Ace has had delivered to my office or the many messages he's left me. From the threats of paper cutting in between my toes to a delivery of a muffin basket and that was only in one day. He really goes through a ranging degree of emotions very quickly.
I pushed myself up from my chair and grabbed my jacket off of the coat stand in the corner of my room. "I think I'm going to take off early Diana. So you can too."
She shot me a knowing smile as she nodded. "Tell Ace I say hi." She bowed quickly then left the room. When I exited a couple of minutes later, she was nowhere to be seen.
I winded my way through the long hallways of the palace in search of my mate. It had been a long few months as the pair of us tried to recover from the incident at the Palecrest pack's territory. Achilles would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night screaming and I had few too many panic attacks from even the look of silver cutlery.
We were a mess but we were healing each other slowly.
Our friends and family were a huge help. They supported us through all the ups and downs and I don't think either of us could thank them enough for all the shit they've put up with between us.
Achilles and I stuck together like glue recently only parting when one of us needed to use the bathroom or we were physically dragged apart and I hadn't realized how much I missed him even though I had only seen him a few hours ago.
Rolling my eyes at myself I stepped into the living room and smiled a the sight I saw. Demi and Alison were talking quietly where they were curled up talking on a single armchair, with Demi sitting in Alison's lap her arms wrapped around her. Malik was sat cross-legged on the couch opposite texting someone on his phone. Elliot was watching tv on the other couch although he was currently watching Alfie who was sat in front of him, his back leaning against the couch and his legs stretched in front of him. Achilles' head was in his lap and he had a book above him, his eyes tracing the pages with surprising speed.
Malik noticed me first, offering me a small wave before turning back to his phone. I shucked off my jacket and threw it over the back of the couch, Elliot was sitting on. He looked up at me and grinned. "Sup Princey."
"Nothing. Sup with you?" I replied as I settled on the couch next to him. Alison and Demi looked up then and grinned, asking how I was and if there was any news on anything. I shook my head. I sent out people to look for more information on the Palecrest decimation. Rumors had been spreading but nobody from my pack either confirmed or denied them finding it easier to keep our noses out of it altogether.
The people I had sent out would confirm whether anyone was getting closer to the truth but for now, everything was good.
Speaking of, I leaned over Alfie's shoulder and tried to catch the attention of my mate but he simply ignored me. Alfie laughed. "He's reading you'll have to wait till he comes up for air."
Rolling my eyes again I nodded. I was well aware of how lost Ace got in his books but it was fun to try and distract him and test just how far I could go before he lost it.
Both Elliot and Alfie smiled as though they knew what I was about to attempt. We had a running bet to see who could make him break first.
"Ace I'm going to dye my hair bright yellow, think it'll suit me?" Elliot asked first.
Ace didn't say anything for a moment before humming. "Whatever you want Eli."
Peering over the edge of his book Ace didn't even look at me as I stared down at him. "You have really nice eyes." Elliot snorted at my poor attempt.
"Thanks, I use them to see."
"So Logan and I have decided that we're going buy a boat and sail to Rome where we'll marry and adopt a bunch of Italian babies. Do we have your blessing?" Alfie tired and I choked on a laugh.
I liked to think that if Ace wasn't reading he would have a really big problem with that situation but instead, he simply hummed and waved his hand carelessly. "Knock yourselves out. Bring me back a pizza."
Sighing we all gave up. I flopped back on the couch and shifted my focus to the tv where some horror movie was playing.
It was a long while before Ace finally 'came up for air' as Alfie had put it and when he did it was rather violently.
"WHAT!?" Ace screeched as he jerked up from Alfie's lap. The six of us that we're in the room jumped in surprise at his outburst not suspecting it in the quiet room. Ace scanned the pages in front of him before growling and throwing the book down before him. He shot up to standing and turned away only then did he address any of us. "Someone take it away. I don't even want to look at it until the author changes the ending."
Alfie picked up the back and flipped it over to see exactly who the author was. He then let out a loud snort. "I hate to break it to you hon but it's George Orwell, he's been dead for a while now."
Ace spun and threw his hands in the air. "Then someone kill me, I'll go down to hell and demand he writes another ending."
"What makes you think he's in hell?" Alison asked at the same time Demi said, "I thought Satan still had that restraining order against you."
My mate pointed a finger at the girls. "He does and he's definitely in hell. He was no saint." He then threw himself on the couch, folding his arms across his chest and pouting.
I tugged on his bottom lip. "It can't be that bad."
For the first time since I arrived Achilles put his full attention on me but not the way I wanted. His eyes were narrowed into a mean glare. I grinned. "Okay, how about you read it and see if you're still smiling then smart ass."
"Okay." I shrugged, taking the book from Alfie's hands and opening it to page one. I read about two sentences before Ace snatched the book from my hands and put it on one of the side tables.
I looked up at him with raised brows. "You can read later. I need attention."
He said shuffling up until he was curled up at my side. I grinned mockingly down at him, making him shove my face in the opposite direction much to everyone's amusement. "Shut up."
"I didn't say a word."
I wrapped my arms around him when he buried his head in my neck. My friends chuckled and without looking up Ace made a rude gesture at them only fueling their laughter.
Soon they all went back to their own conversation, already used to Achilles random spurts of clinginess.
"You're not allowed to run off to Rome with Alfie. Even if you bring me back a pizza." Achilles said against my neck.
I smiled. "What if it's a really big pizza?"
"Is that a euphemism?" He asked and I laughed. "I missed you." Ace quietly murmured low enough that I almost missed it.
I shifted so Ace had to look up at me and when he did I grinned. "I thought you hated me?" I teased.
"Things change." He muttered.
Tapping his nose lightly, Ace playfully bit the end of my finger. "You know, you're kinda cute when you don't want to admit something."
Achilles moved to grab a blanket from the arm of the couch and wrapped it around us both, when we were both covered and curled up against each other, only then did he reply. "I'm not cute."
My hand slipped up his shirt and I traced his scars lovingly making him sigh as he rested his head on my shoulder. "You are." He didn't say anything. "Come on just admit you love me."
"Fuck you."
I bowed my head so that my lips were barely brushing against his ear. "That can be arranged after you tell me you love me."
A shiver wracked through Achilles's body and I couldn't stop the smile. "I hate you."
"No, you don't."
Finally Ace looked up and when he saw that no one was looking he pressed a kiss to my lips ad I moaned quietly. Ace was getting better at being affectionate around other people but sometimes he found it uncomfortable so I felt really lucky when he did kiss me or touch me in front of others.
"You're right I don't," He said after we parted.
"And?"
Ace rolled his eyes as he started stroked a finger down my jawline. "And I really love you."
For the fiftieth time today I smiled. "I love you too."
He hummed, his lips twitching. He looked at me for a short while then, his brilliant green eyes just watching me while I breathed slowly. "What?" I asked, unable to take his silence any longer.
Achilles cupped my cheek and not for the first time said something that shook me to my core. "Do you remember when I told you that I felt like I didn't belong?" I nodded. "I found it- where I'm supposed to be. It's with you. Always has been always will be."
With no reply, I simply kissed him, knowing that this, what we had, truly was forever.
//
And that's it, folks. The end of Something From Nothing (*Cries*)
Honestly, I never thought I'd get to the end of this story. I started it almost over a year ago at like three am in the middle of the night and it was merely supposed to be a short story to quell the ideas that kept hammering in my head, I never expected it to turn into this railroad of emotions. I put my heart and soul into trying to make Achilles' and Logan's story one that my reader would enjoy and one that I would enjoy writing.
On that note, I want to say thank you to all those who have followed me and supported SFN from the very beginning you gave me the inspiration to continue even when I didn't particularly want to. I hope you've enjoyed reading Ace and Logan's story. It's honestly been a wonder writing it.
This isn't the end of Logan and Ace I have plans that you will hopefully support in the future and am already in the works of writing a brand new story with new characters but the same emotional rollercoaster.
Once again thank you so much for all your support and help, you're all fabulous.
I hope to see you all again soon.
All the best,
C