“I hope so, because two weeks ago I fucked up hard. It can’t happen again,” Beast said once they drove into a stretch of woodland that would lead them to the clubhouse.
“Is Fox speaking to you yet?”
Beast sighed. “Only if he has to, but Nick will be fine soon. I hope we can all bury the hatchet, because we have more pressing issues to worry about.” He was silent for a couple of moments, but then his hand found Laurent’s and squeezed it. “I think once all this is over, we should go somewhere together. Relax in peace and quiet. I want you to myself, with no distractions.”
Laurent’s heart melted when he looked at his husband. No one would have believed the amount of tenderness hidden under the twisted scars and tattoos placed there to obscure his vulnerability. “Aw. Beast… Remember our first camping trip?”
Beast’s grin was so wide that for once he seemed carefree, which was a state Laurent barely saw him in these days. “Of course. Do you want to do that? Spend a week under the sky? I could teach you how to fish.”
Laurent relaxed into the seat when he thought back to their first wonderful time alone. For once, he’d been free of any obligation, with the most wonderful man at his side and no one to disturb their happiness. He remembered waking up to the tent partially open and seeing Beast’s naked form dive into the serene waters of a lake while rays of sunlight played with the canvas of his patterned skin.
“Do not misunderstand me, I love what the modern world has to offer, but there’s something about being in nature, away from all this hustle and bustle that calms me down. It’s so very familiar. If it wasn’t for the camping equipment, I could have forgotten what year it was when I sat by the campfire with you.”
“Have you camped in your own time? Maybe you could show me how it was done back then? We could go really low-tech,” Beast said, sliding his free hand up Laurent’s arm to rest it on his nape.
Laurent let out a laugh. “I wasn’t exactly a trapper, my love. But sometimes, when we travelled with Mr. Barnave, we would sleep in our wagon and eat out in the wilderness. But it was nothing as pleasant as enjoying nature for leisure the way I did with you. When my eyes started failing me, being in the outdoors became so dangerous.” He was bitterly reminded of the fact that it was thanks to Baal’s intervention that he now lived in times when his eyes could have been rescued with very little discomfort. But that again brought his mind to Magpie and their child. “Do you think Marcel will enjoy spending time in nature with us? Though I’m afraid that’s a question for years to come. We couldn’t possibly take him away from civilization right after he hatches, could we?”
Beast was silent for a few moments. “I mean… maybe not immediately after, but it’s not like any of us can nurse. We could leave him in the care of someone experienced for a couple of days.”
“Who, though? It sounds so risky.” Laurent shook his head. “And taking the egg could be perilous as well.”
Beast slid his hand off Laurent and once again put it on the steering wheel. “So what… are we not allowed to go away until Marcel is old enough to go with us? Or do you want him to spend every single vacation with us from now on?”
Laurent frowned, surprised by the sudden change in Beast’s tone. “We can’t make plans when the world might collapse in a matter of months. So what does it matter?”
“But planning a baby in the face of the Apocalypse makes more sense? Can’t we have a break?”
“I’ve never had a ‘vacation’ when I worked at the book shop, and yet here I am, alive and well. We won’t die if we don’t take days off,” Laurent said, even though the truth was that he used to detest having to work from dusk until dawn.
“Maybe, but what does this have to do with anything? This isn’t the nineteenth century, and I want time with my husband,” Beast said, slowing to pass the gate to club grounds.
“And we will have time. We have many close friends to oversee Marcel from time to time. Is something else the matter? Because you’re agitated for no reason.”
Beast’s jaw clenched, and he briefly glanced Laurent’s way. “I’m not agitated. Just tired. All I want is some alone time with you. Is that really so unreasonable? Don’t you want that?”
“Of course I do. Remember that time you took me on a boat? I loved it. I’m just trying to also account for the new responsibilities we might have.” But the conversation was going in circles, so Laurent opted for a change of topic when he spotted a chance for it on the horizon. “Oh, look, is that the delivery truck from Mr. Magpie?”