Redhawk Caldera Exes and ohs

He only said a single word, "Oh," but it was enough to twinge Peregrine's heart strings. "Don't you think so?" he asked more quietly, for the Gamma had neither agreed with or refuted his observation. "You deserve to be someone's mate and have pups of your own and it just occurred to me that because you're with me, you'll never have either of those things. I know you want them." They had been very close for a while now, after all. "And surely I'm not worth giving up all that. You'd be a fantastic father, Pan."

He paused for a long moment, trying to gather his thoughts even as he felt emotions surfacing to choke him. "You also... you deserve to be more than someone's side dish," he continued in a slightly quavering voice. "You deserve to be more than 'beloved Uncle Pan,' you know?" Probably Pan didn't know. He had never seemed to place much worth on himself.

Gently, Peregrine reached out to touch his nose to the Gamma's pale cheek. "It has nothing to do with whether or not I love you. I do. It's just that with the next batch of Firebirds coming up, it got me thinking... about what a selfish dick I am about the whole lovers thing." Because he had been the same way with Lasher: always taking, rarely ever giving, and always letting his attention drift elsewhere.