Simon

by Catherine Lievens

  He didn’t look up, afraid of what he might see on Malik’s face. Malik hadn’t told him anything the night before, when they’d made love and mated, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t have something to say now. Simon steeled himself, just in case. Malik didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be harsh, but Simon didn’t really know him yet.

  “I know nothing I can say will make you feel better about it, at least not in the short-term, but you don’t have anything to hide. You might not be as tall or as muscular as me, but it doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful,” Malik said softly. “I don’t particularly like guys like me, at least not physically. You, though, I really like. You’re slender and soft, and I love that. I loved the way you felt under me last night.”

  Simon blushed, but he was also smiling. Malik was right, nothing he could say right now would make him feel less self-conscious, not after years of hearing he wasn’t good enough, but it helped, and it made Simon feel beautiful, at least now that he was in Malik’s arms. He knew it wouldn’t last, especially once he saw his parents or his brother, but it felt good.

  Malik kissed the top of Simon’s head, and when Simon looked up, he kissed his lips. He kept it short, just pressing their lips together, and Simon was grateful, because he hadn’t brushed his teeth yet.

  “I’m going to go downstairs if it’s okay,” Malik said.

  Simon nodded. “Someone should already be there. Will is usually the first one to get up, so there should be coffee.”

  “Want me to get you a cup ready?”

  Simon groaned. “Yes, please. Black. The huge mug in the cupboard over the coffee machine is mine.”

  Malik left, and Simon went through his morning routine. He took extra care choosing his clothes, because no matter what Malik had said, Simon didn’t want to embarrass him. He was ready to bet they’d see his parents today, though, and it was a hard choice to make. Should he go make-up free to avoid embarrassing Malik, or should he put on more than he’d usually wear for his parents’ sake?

  Simon looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a button-down, something he didn’t do often. In fact, he owned only two of them, and paired with the blue jeans he’d chosen, it was a weird sight. He looked... common. Boring.

  It was probably what an alpha mate should look like, though, and holy fuck, Simon was an alpha mate. He’d known it, had thought about it, but the realization of what it meant hit him only then, and it was enough to make his knees buckle. If Malik changed his mind and decided to keep his alpha position, it meant Simon would be the second most important person of Malik’s pack.

  Simon nodded at his reflection. He was an alpha mate, for how long he didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. He needed to behave like an alpha mate would, or rather, should.

  He slicked his hair out of his eyes instead of in front of them like he always did. He thought he looked ridiculous, so he left the bathroom and went downstairs, because he knew he’d keep on fiddling with his hair if he didn’t. He paused at the kitchen door, smiling at the sound of Malik and Mal talking, then went in.

  The conversation stopped instantly. Malik smiled at Simon, but Mal was gaping at him. Simon tried to silently tell Mal to keep his mouth shut, but either Mal wasn’t able to read Simon’s eye movements or he was just ignoring them. Simon thought it was probably the second option.

  “Why are you dressed like that?” Mal asked. “And why aren’t you wearing make-up?”

  Simon sat at the table, smiling at Malik because his cup was waiting for him. He sipped at it, hoping Mal would take the hint, but of course he didn’t. Simon would have been surprised if he had.

  “Simon? What’s wrong?” Mal asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why do you look like your boring twin instead of like yourself?”

  Malik sat in front of Simon. He didn’t say anything, but he stared, making Simon fidget. He knew both Mal and Malik were waiting for an answer. “I’m an alpha mate now,” was all he said. There was nothing else to say, really. It should be enough for Mal to understand.

  “So?” Mal answered. “Does it mean you have to be boring?”

  “Not boring. It means I have to behave accordingly.”

  “And behaving accordingly is wearing clothes I didn’t even know you owned and going around without make-up?”

  Simon nodded stiffly. Mal made it sound so easy, but it wasn’t. Simon felt like he wasn’t himself dressed like he was, but then he couldn’t be himself if he wanted to be a good mate to Malik. “Yes.”

  Malik reached across the table and pulled one of Simon’s hands away from his mug. “I thought I’d told you I liked you the way you are.”

  Simon swallowed. “You said you liked my body.”

  Malik shook his head. “I don’t want you to change for me, Simon. Even if I hadn’t decided to step down from the alpha position, I wouldn’t want you to. Why don’t you go change? I want to see you being true to yourself. Please.”

  Simon could resist the please, but Quinn’s words from the day before wouldn’t leave his mind. “What Quinn said yesterday...”

  Malik huffed. “Forget about him. He’s a grumpy bastard, and I don’t envy his mate when he finds him. I really don’t care about the way you dress, or if you wear make-up. It doesn’t make you unfit to be my mate. Nothing does. I want to see the real you, Simon, and if anyone tries to tell you that being you makes you unfit to do anything, they’ll have to deal with me.”

  * * * *

  Malik watched Simon walk away. He waited until he heard him climb the stairs to turn to Mal and ask, “What can you tell me about Simon’s family?”

  Mal frowned. “They’re assholes. All of them.”

  “Why? What did they do?”

  Mal leaned back against his chair. “I haven’t been here for long, but even I know they’re assholes. They’ve never accepted Simon. Even after he was rescued from the lab and taken back home, instead of helping him to heal, they just pushed him down, you know?”

  “How?”

  “They always tell him he’s not manly enough, that he looks like a girl. Simon’s been playing it up, because that’s how he is. I know he saw his mother yesterday, so that’s why he had on such heavy make-up. It’s usually a lot lighter.”

  “That’s why they find him girly?”

  Quincy had had the same reaction, or at least Malik thought so. Quincy hadn’t exactly explained what he thought of Simon, but he’d been clear that he didn’t think Simon would be a good alpha mate. Not that Malik cared about what Quincy thought most of the time—the man might be his best friend, but Malik wasn’t blind. He knew Quincy was an asshole—he even knew why he behaved that way. That was why he didn’t usually listen to what came out of Quincy’s mouth. It mattered even less in this case, because Simon was Malik’s mate, and Malik wouldn’t listen to anyone’s opinion unless it was Simon’s.

  “They always thought he was girly, and since he can’t make them change their minds, he decided to aggravate them even more. I don’t blame him, to be honest. It’s his way of getting revenge, I guess.”

  “Does he see them often?”

  “Yeah. His brother makes sure to taunt him as often as he can.”

  “What about his parents?”

  Mal shrugged. “I know he sees his mother more often, because she doesn’t have a job. She calls him often.”

  “Why? She obviously doesn’t love him like he should be loved.”

  “I have no idea. I don’t understand you guys most of the time. Some pack members are fine, and they’re friends, but most of the older ones, well, they’re assholes, just like Simon’s parents. Simon and Elliott told me how growing up here was, what with the old alpha and everything, and I’m kind of surprised they came out sane. The older generation, well, not so much. Most of them are assholes. I’m not saying Simon’s parents don’t love him in their own way. I’m saying it’s a fucked-up way, though.”

  “And Simon d
oesn’t want to stop seeing them.”

  “They’re his parents. His only family, at least until you popped into his life.” Mal leaned forward and eyed the door. He lowered his voice. “What are you going to do about them?”

  Malik tapped his index finger on the table. He wasn’t sure what he could do. He needed to see how they reacted to him first. If they thought Simon was girly, they probably wouldn’t be happy about him being mated to a man. Maybe the fact that Malik was an alpha and a council member would make things easier, but he didn’t count on that too much.

  “I don’t know,” he told Mal. “I need to meet them. Then I’ll decide.”

  “But you’re at least going to talk to them, right? Maybe threaten them a bit? Because if you don’t, Corbin said he wouldn’t have problems doing it.”

  Malik chuckled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He didn’t know Corbin much, but even he’d heard about what had happened to the man. Being born into a lab had left him socially awkward to say the least, and Malik knew he had the inclination to solve everything by killing, or proposing to kill, anyway.

  “I just want to make sure my friend is happy, and I know his parents will always make him unhappy, at least until they learn to keep their mouths shut. Simon will never say anything. I know he tried, but they don’t listen. Maybe you can do something, especially since you’re an alpha and all that crap.”

  “All that crap?”

  Mal waved. “I’m human. I understand what your role is, and I even feel some of your alpha superpower when you use it, or at least when Kameron does, but that’s about all it does to me.”

  “As long as you don’t disrespect me in front of someone who shouldn’t see it, I don’t care. You can tell me whatever you want when we’re alone or with people I trust.”

  Mal beamed. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

  “Hey, stay away from my mate. You have your own,” Simon said from the door.

  Malik turned to look at him, and his dick stiffened at the sight. Simon had been gorgeous before, wearing a simple button-down shirt and plain jeans, but he was sexy as fuck now.

  He still wore blue jeans, but the ones he now had on were skinny, so much that Malik could see the outline of his cock. It was a wonder Simon could even breathe in those jeans.

  The button-down was gone, replaced by a bright red T-shirt with someone’s face stamped on the front. It was tight, and when Simon reached up into one of the cupboards, it rose and exposed a strip of skin on his back, skin Malik couldn’t wait to lick.

  He stayed right where he was, though. Simon’s face was flushed when he turned around, a bowl in his hand, and he looked everywhere but at Malik. Malik understood why. It wasn’t only Simon’s clothes that were different. He’d also put make-up on, and Malik thought it made him even more beautiful. The eyeliner certainly didn’t make him look girly.

  Simon sat back into the chair he’d used earlier. Mal smiled at him, apparently happy to see Simon’s new attire. He looked from Malik to Simon, then suddenly rose from his chair. “I need to go.”

  Simon looked at him. “I thought you were coming with us to pick Iggy’s furniture.”

  “Yeah, but I need to do something before we leave. Call me when everyone’s ready, yeah?”

  Mal left, and Simon looked at Malik. “Why was he lying?”

  “He probably wanted to give us some private time. We’re newly mated after all.”

  “And he probably wanted to give you space to tell me what you think about my clothes now that I’ve changed.”

  Simon slumped against the back of his chair and looked at Malik from under his hair. It wasn’t slicked to the side anymore. Instead, it hung in front of his face, even though he kept pushing the strands back behind his ears.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you and Mal look like brothers?” Malik asked instead of answering.

  Simon laughed. “Yeah. My parents hate it. Can you imagine? He’s human, and gay. I’m pretty sure they’d have had a heart attack if Mal had been my brother.”

  “They don’t like you being gay?”

  Simon shrugged. “Nope. Not that I was surprised when I came out and they yelled at me. I mean, they’ve told me I looked like a girl for most of my life. I don’t think they were surprised to hear it, but it didn’t mean they liked it.”

  “So how are they going to react when we go see them?”

  Simon looked up from his bowl. “We’re going to see them?”

  “I want to meet them.”

  Simon grimaced. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Not that I’m ashamed of you or anything. I’m more ashamed of them, to be honest. I already know they’re going to be unpleasant about us. I don’t want you to have to listen to them.”

  Malik took one of Simon’s hands in his and squeezed. “I can take it. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I know you can. I guess I’m scared you might change your mind about me.” Simon chuckled. “Not that it would do you any good since we’re mated, but...”

  “I’m not going to change my mind.” Malik raised Simon’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “You’re my future. I don’t care about what your parents think of me, but I want them to know that you’re not alone anymore, and that anything they have to say to you, I will find out.”

  “That sounds... menacing.”

  “That’s what I was going for.” Malik kissed Simon’s hand again, smiling when Simon blushed slightly. “And I have to say, I’m happy Mal told me the clothes you had on before aren’t what you usually wear. You were cute in them, but you’re stunning now, and I can’t wait to peel those jeans off of you.”

  The blush on Simon’s cheeks deepened, and Malik leaned forward to kiss him.

  Chapter Four

  Simon should have known it wouldn’t last long.

  The day before, he, Malik, Mal, and Iggy had gone shopping. Simon had known Malik was supposed to be working, but Malik hadn’t said anything, so Simon had kept his mouth shut. They were newly mated, and he felt like he had the right to spend some time with his mate without having to worry about councils, even if it was only one day. He knew it was stupid—Malik couldn’t just get out of his twin roles of council member and alpha, not even to be with Simon.

  Still, the day before had been fantastic, so when Simon walked into the kitchen and found Quinn sitting at the table, drinking coffee and scowling at the wall, he wished he’d stayed in bed.

  “What are you doing here?” Quinn asked, moving his scowl from the wall to Simon.

  “I live here.”

  “Don’t you have a job to go to or something?”

  “Well, good morning to you, too, Quincy,” Simon said, taking his mug from the cupboard and pouring himself some coffee.

  Quinn growled behind him. “Don’t call me Quincy.”

  Simon turned to face him and leaned back against the counter. “Then stop being an ass. I’ll stop too.”

  “I’m not being an ass.”

  “No, that’s just his sparkling personality shining through,” Malik said, entering the kitchen.

  He made a beeline for Simon and kissed him. Maybe waking up at a decent hour would be easier now that Simon was with Malik, because damn. He’d wake up at six A.M. if it meant he could have more of these kisses. “You weren’t in bed when I got out of the shower,” Malik whispered against Simon’s lips.

  “I needed coffee. Want me to fix you a cup?”

  Malik shook his head. “I already had two when I got up to run.”

  Simon tsked. “Running. What is wrong with you? The only time one should run is either when there’re zombies coming after you or if there’s a sale in your favorite shop.”

  Malik grinned. “Seen any zombies recently?”

  “Are you going to stop sucking faces any time soon?” Quinn asked. “Me and Malik need to go see Kameron.”

  Simon’s sense of satisfaction disappeared and he sighed. “Of course.” He gently pushed Ma
lik away, but Malik didn’t budge. He kissed Simon again instead, lingering until Quinn cleared his throat. Only then did he turn around and said, “Simon’s coming with us.”

  “He is?” Quinn asked.

  “I am?” Simon asked at the same time.

  Malik smiled. “Kameron knows I’ll tell you whatever we’ll talk about anyway. What does your presence there change?”

  “Can I talk to you?” Quinn asked, and he didn’t sound or look happy. Simon had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to tell Malik, and he sighed. He could have done without the confrontation so early in the morning.

  Malik narrowed his eyes at him. “There’s no need to talk to me in private. Simon doesn’t have a job to go to, so he can stay with me, unless he decides he’d rather do something else. I wouldn’t blame him. Right now, the last thing I want is to spend time in your company, and I’m your best friend. I can’t imagine how much Simon wishes he could stay away from you.”

  Quinn crossed his arms on his chest. “Yeah? And what are you going to do about it? Are you going to dump me because your precious mate doesn’t like me?”

  Simon felt like he should say something. He’d never ask Malik to dump anything or anyone on his account, but he couldn’t deny he’d rather have his balls waxed than spending time with Quinn. The guy rubbed him the wrong way. To be honest, he probably rubbed everyone the wrong way, but still.

  “If you don’t stop being an asshole to him, I might,” Malik answered.

  Quinn snorted. “I’m an asshole to everyone.”

  “That might be why I’m your only friend.”

  “I don’t need more.”

  Simon decided to say something. He hadn’t planned to, but the last thing he wanted was for Malik to lose his best friend, no matter how abrasive and how much of an asshole Quinn could be. Before he could, though, Malik started talking again. His voice was softer, so soft Simon wouldn’t have heard what he was saying if he hadn’t paid attention.

  “He’s like you, Quinn.”

  Quinn snorted again. “Please. We’re nothing alike.”