NERIS (BoyxBoy)

Is This Comfort?

I just stood there staring at Phillip as he saluted me.

I seriously was trying so hard not to cry. When Phillip opened his arms for a hug, I quickly got out of my trance and ran over to him.

He enveloped me in his arms and only then did the water works fully start.

He chuckled and rubbed my head, holding me closer. "It's ok, I'm home for good now."

I leaned back and placed both hands on his face and pulled him in for a kiss. I only pulled away when someone cleared their throat.

I pulled back and glanced to the side to see Eric.

I instantly smiled. "Eric!" I jumped from Phillip and pulled Eric in for a hug.

"You finally notice me, Mom. I was beginning to feel hurt."

I ruffled his hair. "Sorry, bud."

"Hey, I'm 19 now. I think you can stop calling me bud." 

I smiled. "As long as I'm married to your dad you'll always be bud." 

Soon we all heard the sound of someone running toward us. "Daddy!" 

Phillip knelled down and opened his arms in a hug. Lennox ran straight into his arms and Phillip stood twirling Lennox around to make him laugh. "I missed you daddy." 

Phillip put Lenn down. "I missed you too, Lenny," 

I knelt down to Lenn's level and touched his shoulder. "What about Bun-Bun did you find him?"

Lennox nodded. "Yup, he was hiding under my bed. The naughty wabbit." He pouted and I ruffled his hair, chuckling. 

I glanced back at Phillip. He extended a hand to me and helped me up, pulling me against his chest. "What is it?" He asked, with a small smile. 

"I just can't believe you're home. For good, this time." I mumbled, placing my hand on his cheek. 

There was a knock at the door that completely  spoiled our moment. 

"Who could that be? You aren't expecting anyone right?" 

I shook my head. "No." 

I went to the door, my breath held slightly as I prayed for it not to be who I think it was. When I opened the door, I sighed. "Hello, Mr. Thorne."

"Aww, I've been demoted to a Mr. now? What happened to the first name basis thing we had?" Stryker asked as he touched my face. I turned my head away from him, which caused him to move his face closer to mine. "I'm so hurt Ian." He whispered the words his breath fanning my face, bringing up memories from that passionate night years ago, making my body heat up.

I felt myself being pulled from Stryker and into someone's side. I inhaled and immediately knew it was Phillip when the familiar scent of his cologne filled my nostrils. When  I wrapped my hands around his torso and snuggled into his neck, I could feel myself begin to calm down. 

"What business do you have with MY husband?" Phillip growled at Stryker, like a dog warning another that he trespassed into claimed territory. (Pun intended) 

"Husband?" Stryker said the word as if it left a horrid taste in his mouth. 

"Yes, Husband. And you are?" While saying this Phillip continued to hug me tighter. 

I opened my eyes to see Stryker pointing at Lennox. "I'm that child's father. I've come to pick him up. We had arranged for him to spend a few days at my house." 

"Oh!" I mumbled. "I completely forgot." I glanced up at Philip who wasn't listening because he was busy baring his teeth at the unfamiliar Alpha in his midst. They both were giving off extremely strong Alpha pheromones as they glared at each other, demanding the other to back down. Philip wasn't gonna back down, not in his territory but by the looks of it neither was Stryker. 

Footsteps sounded down the stairs and I glanced back to see Quinn halfway down the stairs. "OK OK Ladies you're both beautiful so now tone it down with the pheromones. Because you stink, and I can smell it from upstairs so I can't get any sleep. And if I don't sleep, my baby isn't calm and if she isn't calm them she kicks and if she kicks she does it hard and then I'm angry. And you DON'T WANT ME ANGRY! Because then, important male organs will go missing!" By the time he finished his face was flushed and he was glaring. 

Both men whined. Philip more so than Stryker. Philip proceeded to hug me and I reached up and rubbed his head. "It's ok. The bad man doesn't mean it." Philip then nuzzled my neck and kissed it making me laugh which made Stryker growl and release more pheromones. 

Then all I hear was Quinn shout. "I said tone it DOWN!" Before I saw a slipper fly and hit Stryker right in the face.Everyone except Quinn then proceeded to laugh at him. He almost growled again before turning around. "I'll just pick him up in the morning." 

He gently closed the door behind himself.  I shook my head. He's so prideful

"Hello to you too, Uncle Quinn. Everyone in this family always forgets I'm here." Eric pouted. 

Quinn seemed to calm down and chuckled. "How could I forget you?"

Quinn came down and retrieved his slipper before going over to Eric who towered over him. He grasped Eric's wrist . "I'd never forget you ok?" He then pulled him toward the kitchen "Now, come on and tell me about your time at boarding school while we have some coffee?" 

Lenn jumped up and ran after them. "Ohhh, I wanna hear too! And I also want some hot coco!"

Philip chuckled and hugged me tighter. "He's the same as he was when he was 4 and I was leaving for the army." 

"Yeah he is. Except he isn't as fluent in Korean anymore since he didn't have you to teach him and my Korean isn't that great either." 

"Well, we can fix that. Because I'll be here."

"You promise?"

"You don't trust me?" He asked as he whipped me around to face him. 

"It's not that it's just when I visited you at the army base in Korea last year. You told me that you'd leave with me but you ended up staying."

"I'm sorry for that but I promise you that I'm here for real this time. And I'll hold you and protect you all, especially from vermin like Stryker." 

I laughed and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "My hero." 

He looked back at me lovingly and I completely forgot about everything including you know who. 

I just stared at him and I saw the friend that I stayed with when Quinn and I had no one. I saw the man, that told me he loved me. I saw the man that I married and most important of all I saw the man that I loved.