Chapter 43 - 43 - Smoke And Shadow

As promised, Ren came back the day before Fang's school reopened. Fang had been up with the sun to wait for him. Ren arrived just in time for breakfast.

Fang stood by the door, holding the two little puppies in his arms. Ren was met with this cute sight as soon as he stepped out of the car. He stood in a daze for a moment, then whipped out his phone and clicked a picture.

"Welcome home," Fang greeted, smiling.

Ren walked to him and gave him a light hug and a kiss. Then he stroked the two pups soft heads with gentle fingers. The little ones looked up at him with amber-gold eyes which were remarkably similar to Ren's own.

"The left one is Smoke and the right one is Shadow. Smoke has a slightly darker wisp of fur on his forehead, just like rising smoke. Other than that, they're quite similar... except in temperament. Smoke is noisy, but Shadow is smarter and quiet," Fang told Ren.

"Hello, my little fur-babies," Ren said mildly.

The pups nuzzled his hand and whined a little. It was clear that they liked him.

Ren felt warm and happy, and all his exhaustion from the long flight disappeared. He grinned at Fang. "They like me!"

"Of course they like you," Fang replied in a matter of fact voice. Obviously he wouldn't admit that he'd been letting the pups curl up with two t-shirts - one of his own and one of Ren's - so that they could familiarise themselves with their scents.

Oblivious to Fang's subtle conditioning of Smoke and Shadow, Ren happily cooed at the pups until Fang pushed him away and sent him upstairs to take a shower.

Ren showered quickly, pulled on the clothes Fang had left for him and went downstairs. Fang was feeding the pups with milk bottles.

"May I?" Ren asked, approaching them slowly.

Fang nodded and patted the seat next to him. Ren sat down and watched attentively as Fang showed him how to handle the puppies and feed them.

Then Shadow was handed over to Ren along with a milk bottle. Ren fed him carefully.

"Our sons are adorable," he told Fang.

Fang stuck out his tongue. "We've already got two sons and you still haven't married me... when are you going to make an honest man out of me?" he teased.

Ren blinked. "Would you like to go to Ray Country again over the weekend and get married, father of my children?" he asked seriously.

Fang rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious," Ren insisted.

Fang flushed. "I was just joking."

Ren pouted. "Are you rejecting me? Don't you want to marry me anymore? You promised..."

"Of course we'll get married in the future," Fang said anxiously. "But before we do, I want to make something of myself. I want to stand on my own two feet and ask you for your hand in marriage!"

Ren looked at the determined and sincere face of the teenager in front of him and felt rather proud. "All right then," he said softly. "I'll wait for you." He leaned in and kissed the tip of Fang's nose. "But we're still getting engaged on your birthday next year, or I'm afraid I'll expire of jealousy."

Fang placed a finger on Ren's lips. "Don't say such ominous things. I want to get engaged, too. You attract too many birds and bees everywhere you go."

Ren laughed happily.

Smoke and Shadow fell asleep after drinking milk and the couple put the pups down in their basket.

Ren threw his arms around Fang and pulled him close, kissing him thoroughly. "I missed you so much," he whispered.

"Me, too," Fang replied shyly. "Come, let's eat breakfast first, then you can rest for a bit. You must be tired."

Ren didn't argue, and the two of them ate slowly, chatting about their time apart. Ren brought up the matter of Dragon Nation, which was almost finalized by now.

"You need a full time assistant and an agent," Ren murmured. "I'll ask Pax to send you a list to choose from. You can hire your own later, for now, I'd be reassured if they're Sirocco's people."

Fang shook his head. "I'm not pursuing a modelling career, there's no need."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "You don't like it?" he asked.

Fang was suspiciously silent.

"I'll cancel the assignment right away," Ren said. "I'm sorry, Fang. I thought you enjoyed your earlier experience."

Fang shook his head and grabbed Ren's arm. "Don't cancel it!" he cried. "I did enjoy being Sirocco's model, and I agreed to this assignment after thinking seriously about it." He took a deep breath. "It's just that I... don't like being watched...or touched. Even if it's only the stylists..." He hung his head. "I know I need to get over it, which was one of the reasons I agreed to do it."

Ren sighed. "There's no need to force yourself, my darling," he said gently. "You're doing phenomenally and I'm very proud of you. I don't want you to do things you don't like or things which make you uncomfortable."

"You can't protect me for the rest of my life," Fang said quietly. "I need to get stronger."

"Regardless of whether you're stronger or not, I'm still going to protect you for a lifetime," Ren said firmly. "That's part of my love."

Fang remained silent.

Ren sighed again, feeling his chest constrict at the look on Fang's face. "It is commendable that you're working so hard and I really admire you for that, Fang," Ren told him. "But really, we can take it slow. There's no hurry."

Fang shook his head. "I want to be able to stand by your side as a worthy partner," he muttered gloomily. "I can't be slow, or someone might steal you away."

"Nonsense," Ren retorted angrily. "What idiot says you're not worthy? Can there be another human as outstanding as my Fang in this world?! I won't let anyone disrespect you - not even yourself!"