It had been three days after the burial, and the silence still lingered without words.

Eden lay still in bed, staring at the ceiling. He hadn’t spoken for a while now; he didn’t. He only stared at the ceiling, his mind flooding with the idea of Felix leaving.

He had left without words. Without telling him or without any news of where he was going or when he’d come back. And the worst part was that Eden didn’t really need all that information because he knew what was happening.

He knew why he left: because he didn’t wish to take him down. He liked him that much to leave and let Eden live. And that was the worst part.

"Come and eat at least!" Lenny was moving around his bed that morning, trying to pull him out of bed. "Come out already! You can’t be like this forever!"

Eden closed his eyes. "Let me rest for a few seconds... I promise I’ll come out after that..."

"No! You keep saying that for days now!" The cat pulled him by the hand. "Get up now! Breakfast is ready."

Eden didn’t feel like getting up. He felt like lying there and thinking about how tragic the father-and-son duo was. It was never fair for them. And now, he found himself thinking about how much his feelings for Felix had grown.

He liked him this much. And he had come to realize that. But fate was silly enough to play such games.

A knock came on the door. Lenny looked up to see Lysander standing at the door with a tray.

Lenny blinked. "Come and get your husband out of bed before he rots!"

Lysander smiled. "If he wants to rot in here, then I’ll gladly rot in here with him." He smiled as he came to sit beside the bed, gently placing the tray at the side.

Lenny gave him the side eye. "You annoying lovebirds," he snapped.

Lysander smiled, sitting beside Eden, who was still staring at the ceiling as though no one was in the room with him. "I really think you should have something... I brought this. Elvis made it himself for you. Get up and try it. You’ll like it."

Eden stared at the ceiling without words. He sighed and then said, "You can just keep it there. I’ll eat later."

"Don’t fall for it. He never does," Lenny snapped.

Lysander smiled at Eden. "At least sit up. I’ll gladly feed you," he said.

Eden rolled in bed with a soft groan as Lysander slowly pulled him up to sit down against his will. He sat down in bed, staring into thin air.

"Are you ready to be fed?" Lysander asked.

"I’m too tired to eat."

"Eat first. You’ll get the strength afterward," he insisted as he took a spoonful of soup and turned to him. "What method do you want? Mouth-to-mouth feeding or...?"

Lenny glared at him. "Hey! I’m still here!"

Lysander smiled, ignoring him, and brought the spoon close to his mouth. "Here, have it. I’ll only leave when you’re done with this."

Eden hesitated, staring at it. He was too lazy to take a spoon into his mouth.

"Don’t blame me, then." Lysander then took the soup into his mouth. He gently pulled Eden’s chin toward himself and pressed his lips against him, pouring the soup into his mouth.

It was a brief kiss, but it had Lenny turning and closing his eyes. "Hey! Stop it!"

Lysander stared into his eyes as he was done with the kiss. "Would you like to be fed like this, then?"

Eden was partially shocked as he stared at Lysander. He never knew he could be this bold about it all. He felt his heart flutter in that moment. He should be the one flirting and playing with his heart—not the other way around.

"No, I’ll take it," Eden bit his lower lip.

Lysander smiled, patting his head. "That’s a good boy. But before then..." He leaned in and pressed for another kiss. A deeper and steamier kiss.

Their tongues locked and played, saliva mixed as they softly bit each other’s lips while teasing and tasting every part of each other’s mouths.

Their breaths grew heavy as Lysander’s hands cupped Eden’s face, kissing him harder and more intimately.

Lenny was losing it. "Hey! What’s it now?" He couldn’t even look back.

But in a minute, they ended the kiss and stared into each other’s eyes. Lysander smiled. "I missed those lips... so stop being gloomy and come out more. We all missed you."

Eden found himself nodding. Just nodding! He couldn’t be that submissive, could he?

Lysander tapped his head again. "Good boy. Finish the meal." He got up to his feet and left.

Lenny stared at the meal and then at Eden. "Shameless."

Eden smiled back at him as he took a spoon. "I guess I am, after all."

---

Eden had come out to breakfast only to find some of them already there.

Elvis and Lysander had gone out to get some stuff. Leo and Adrian were also out on some important stuff concerning their cities. He could only see the ladies—Queen Elizabeth, Helen, and Cordelia—sitting and chatting when he arrived in the dining room with Lenny.

"Oh! You’re awake." Queen Elizabeth flashed him a smile. "That’s great!" She got up and went to slowly drag him to sit down beside her. She ran a hand through his forehead. "So how are you feeling? Any better?"

Eden nodded with a smile. "Yes. I’m much better."

Queen Elizabeth sighed and said, "That’s much better. I was scared something would happen to you after Felix left..."

Eden shook his head with a smile. "Don’t worry about me. I’m fine."

But Queen Elizabeth had her tender motherly eyes on him. She smiled as she said, "From today onwards, I’m like your mother. I’m already your mother. So feel free to let me know how you feel. I’m always here for you."

Eden smiled at her with a nod. He had already taken her as one. And he felt warm about the idea.