The Beast and His Tamer

The days tended to get better and better the longer he stayed there. Even when Sebastian was just staying outside, answering questions and telling stories of beasts that he had dealt with before, he was having a blast. It was just great getting reactions from them all, even when Sebastian would randomly call Matt out, which he loved to do merely because he was so shocked whenever he got called out. He was sure to make someone happy, Sebastian just knew it. He was too cute in a subtle way.

It was just too easy to talk to all the people here. He even memorized all of their names, which was something that he never thought he could do when he first ventured out to be a tamer at the ripe age of eight. It was difficult enough just remembering the different types of beasts that were out there. But each and every one of the people here had their own ways of talking to him and reacting, he couldn't not remember them.

There was Jalea who cleaned the house, cared for and loved religiously by the doctor of the pack, Teal – to which Sebastian just had to ask him for the story of how he got his name. It such a strange one, but he loved it. Then there was Tibo, Hannah, Gary, Steve, Brook.

Well, Sebastian could go on for ages. That was what shocked him about all of this. This really was a place that he was going to have to visit again some time. He couldn't just leave these people forever, like most of the beasts that he helped. They weren't just a wild group, meant to stay wild and without human interaction. They were humans themselves. Or half of one. But that still counted in Sebastian's book.

He didn't even count the kids! Oh, there were so many kids there. Sebastian saw more and more spawn before his very eyes with every second he stayed there. Their parents were very cautious with them, from what he heard from Rhett.

"They all were brought to this pack house to keep the children together and protected," Rhett said. "Most of them stay inside because of all the dealings with rogues and everything else."

"This reminds me of my Uncle Glastion's house," Sebastian smiled. "There's always children there, no matter how many years pass. He just loves to have them all around him."

Rhett grabbed his face, not responding, and moved it closer to him. Those green eyes bored into his curiously. Sebastian saw that look in everyone who ever asked him questions or heard him speak, especially with this pack. But there was just something about when Rhett looked at him so intensely that he started to get chills up and down his spine, and he just couldn't ever look away from him.

"You're always smiling now," Rhett told him. "I swear it's all you do."

"Well, thank you," he told him, trying his hardest not to blush. "Smiling is some of the best medicine you could give yourself."

"You need medicine?" he looked at him skeptically.

"Daily medicine," Sebastian told him, grabbing ahold of the hand that was holding him. "Perhaps it's more of a vitamin."

"Now you're just rambling," Rhett chuckled, pulling him closer with the other arm that had somehow snuck around his waist. "Speaking of your uncle, though, I haven't had the chance to ask you if you were ready to call your parents yet."

"Oh," he finally gained control of his vision and looked the other way. "Uh," he tried to push against that broad chest to get some space between them to no avail. "Probably tomorrow, actually. I'm not sure where they are around the world, so the timeframes might be a little different – or a lot different depending."

"That's the worst excuse in the book," Rhett told him, rubbing his thumb on his cheek. "But, if you want to wait a little longer, fine."

Sebastian had to hold back a sigh as he said that. It wasn't like he didn't want to see if Rhett could somehow convince them. It was just that he was 99% positive that they were going to say no, and then there was going to be more drama than he could ever imagine.