If Wishes Were Fishes Read online

  "I was saaaay-ing," Magari said, sing-song, "that I was gonna have a great time with you two for the rest of my life."

  Pertu said, "Awwww," in a voice that was both teasing and genuinely touched, reaching over to pinch Magari's cheek.

  Avi sniffled once, briefly, then looked away with a scowl. "You're such a fuckin' sap," he muttered. Pertu reached over, picked up one of Avi's hands, and put it on Magari's other cheek, mushing it there.

  The rest of my life…

  All Keith had was now, but maybe that was fine after all. He couldn't solve mortality, but so long as Hiraeth wanted to be here, Keith wanted him here. Just like he wanted Lucas here so long as Lucas was all right with not being put to rest.

  They'd figure out some way to make it work. They'd done pretty well with it so far, after all.

  "Hiraeth?" he asked, interrupting Magari rambling at his lovers about how he never wanted to see another plastic treasure chest again in his life.

  Hiraeth flopped over, resting his head against Keith's leg. "M'love?"

  "What are you doing tomorrow?"

  epilogue

  "Ready?" Lucas asked him.

  Keith opened his eyes from where he'd been laying on his bed at his parents' house, hoping that he'd suddenly learn how to successfully meditate so he could calm the fuck down.

  It hadn't been working, but he was as ready as he was going to get. "Yeah. He'll be here any minute."

  Some things, he knew he couldn't change. Not yet, anyway, not all at once. Some things were changing: Shaunee knew the truth now, and he was glad of that. Lucas would have some family again.

  But Keith's own parents had reason to resist. He wasn't sure he even could show Lucas to them, not when they already believed so thoroughly that whatever Keith had seen was his own guilt made manifest. Even if he tried to put his vision on them, he suspected they'd find a reason to explain it away after.

  But slowly, over time, things might change. Maybe, as he let them see some of his new normal one small bit at a time, they'd grow more and more open to it.

  Maybe someday they'd understand.

  "There you are, Keith," his mother called cheerily as he came downstairs. She was cooking what was sure to be a deeply bland vegetarian dish. "I'm so glad your friend agreed to come."

  Keith steeled himself, drawing a deep breath to steady himself. He should say it now. It was time. "Mom, he's—"

  A knock at the door. Keith's heart skipped into overdrive, and for a moment, his feet froze.

  "Well? Going to get the door?" his dad asked, teasing.

  He unstuck his feet, trying not to let himself get too anxious as he hurried to the door. There Hiraeth was: uncanny and strange, with his fuzzy velvet antlers that Keith's parents couldn't see. He beamed in through the door, holding out a bottle of wine. "So lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Marose," he said, charm turned up all the way. "I'm Henry!"

  One thing at a time. "He's my boyfriend," Keith said airlessly.

  For a moment, he could hear a pin drop. He wasn't sure his heart was still beating at all.

  "You should have told me!" his mother yelped. "I was making friend dinner, not boyfriend dinner! You're the worst!"

  Keith's dad burst into laughter, taking the wine from Hiraeth. "I feel like I'm supposed to comment on the vintage but we mostly drink boxed wine. No, seriously, it looks great. Come on in!"

  Keith's heart started beating again as Hiraeth stepped in. Lucas, beside him, gave a thumb's up, grinning hugely.

  There was so much still hidden between him and his family, from Hiraeth's name to Lucas himself.

  But one step at a time, one day at a time, one moment at a time. It was the only way they could live, and maybe it was time that he focus on that.

  None of them knew what the future might bring—but right now, the present was good.

  Fin

  If you liked this …

  Smoke Signals

  By Meredith Katz

  Mike St. George's average life as tech support for a game distribution company becomes unexpectedly eventful when he's sent to the home of an aristocratic, self-centered dragon and left in charge of installing and protecting the digital side of the dragon's hoard of games.

  But a job's a job. And while the blue-blooded Zali'thurg might be egotistical and prideful, Mike's wrangled worse customers. At least this one's pretty cute, even if it's in an apex predator sort of way…

  An M/M urban fantasy romance. Classes and personalities clash when a customer service agent ends up helping a sexy billionaire shapeshifting dragon. Geeky, cute, and featuring kittens, knitting, and learning to navigate boundaries.

  About the Author

  When she was younger, Meredith Katz tried to raise guppies, with unfortunately predictable results. These days, she sticks to covering herself in cats.

  She lives in Vancouver, BC with her wife, fellow writer Aveline Reynard, their extremely sensitive cat, and their chaotically involved kitten. She loves tea, monsters, and sweetly uncanny things that go bump in the night.

  https://www.softcryptid.com

  https://twitter.com/meredithakatz

  https://twitter.com/softcryptidbook

  http://king-of-katz.tumblr.com