Path of the Vampire forum

[This thread continues from: here.]

F L Y N N :

‘Interesting’ had been the wrong word to describe the fight.

It was as if every movement, every attack was displayed in slow motion, bringing with it the vivid details of the injuries that accompanied them. For the most part, Amalea could have been little more than background noise, even as the source of each strike, because Flynn’s focus hadn’t shifted from Azraeth. At first, everything had been fine and he had taken part in the yelling, cheering and jeering that came with being a part of the crowd. That was, until the first shot successfully lodged itself in the vampire’s skull. Then, the rest of the room seemed to blur and the only thing he saw or heard was anything related to the fight in the center.

For a moment, it was like watching everything that could have possibly gone wrong that night at Longslade, had Flynn not taken his shot when he had. A reminder of what he would have dealt with in the ‘what if’ scenario. Except, this wasn’t a ‘what if.’ It was actually happening, and there was mostly definitely a hole where the bullet made contact and a fresh stream of blood adding to the marring of that beautiful face. It felt a bit like watching a natural disaster, devastating and horrific, yet impossible to look away from. So, he didn’t. He kept watching as they exchanged blows. Or rather, Lea seemed to land them and Az seemed to miss.

Up until the point that the second headshot brought on a spray of brain matter, skull fragments, and blood, and the human felt the rise of bile in the back of his throat as an overwhelming feeling of panic took over. Somewhere, in the deeper regions of his mind, the logical and rational part of him was screaming that Azraeth would be fine. It wasn’t easy to watch, it wouldn’t be easy to handle the aftermath of this fight, but that his boyfriend would come out of it no worse for wear. Not that he was listening to it. His heart hammered so hard in his chest that it threatened to break ribs, his lungs filled with air that he couldn’t seem to release.

And dammit, he wanted the fight to be over. Now.

Rather than stand there and watch any more, he turned and pushed his way through the crowd, wincing with every collective gasp, or ‘Oh!’ as they reacted to the continued engagement, because he knew that any number of them could be the result of the vampire taking another attack, another injury. But, his steps didn’t take him out of the area for fresh air, as he so deeply desired, but rather to one of the gates that opened up into the pit where the staff and combatants could enter and exit. A big, burly man stepped in front of him, glaring. Flynn didn’t think twice before grabbing the guy by the shirt, stepping in close so that they were nose to nose. “If the guy in there goes down, and any of your staff lay a finger on him, I take them as trophies.” His voice was low, deadly. For a second, the man in charge seemed to consider his options and the likelihood he had of kicking the **** out of the paladin, but he eventually took a step back and grunted his agreement before turning back to the fight.

Flynn joined him at the gate, and just as quickly wished he hadn’t as the third bullet drove itself into Az’s head, following by the vampire finally falling and the sword clattering to the ground. He was motionless and still as a corpse, which he might as well have been. The crowd erupted into barely contained screams, some of elation and others with fury and disappointment due to bets they had placed. Frankly, the paladin couldn’t have given two shits less about their profits and losses, because he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the broken man in the pit. The gaze only shifted for the briefest of moments as he looked to the burly man from before, “Open the gate.” Immediately, it was protested. Something about the staff needed to clear the path of onlookers before pulling Az from the ring, and he remained firm even as Flynn all but growled. In a way, he knew it was best that the crowd be parted to prevent further injury to the already battered combatants, but his impatience to reach his partner was strong.

After about five minutes, the gate was finally unlocked, and Flynn made it from the edge of the arena to Azreath with a speed that was impressive for any human. He might have wondered, then, what had happened to Amalea, but his mind was on a one track through process, and that meant settling all the focus on the vampire. There was so much blood, staining his clothes and every inch of that porcelain skin. Kneeling down, he did a quick scan and catalog of every injury he could clearly make out, his breath hitching with a muttered, “Jesus Christ…” as his fingers brushed aside blood matted hair that stuck to the gash over an eye. He was almost afraid to move him, scared that the man would simply fall apart in his arms. Sliding one arm under Az’s knees, and the other behind his shoulders, Flynn softly groaned as he stood and his hands came away covered in blood from what had pooled beneath the unconscious man.

With his boyfriend cradled against his chest, the white t-shirt he was wearing quickly became a bright shade of red. Ignoring any onlookers and staff, Flynn was out of the arena. He had planned ahead and came in his car, prepared in a sense that he might have had to take Azraeth home. Granted, he hadn’t planned on it going down quite like this, but at least he wasn’t going to have to walk with the bleeding and broken vampire. And it was a lot harder to get him into the back than it should have been, but after a little bit of a struggle while trying to remain as gentle as possible, he managed it. With a mental note to detail the back seat, because...blood. Blood, everywhere.

It was definitely illegal, and dangerous, but Flynn whipped it through the streets. Or well, whipped it as much as he felt he was capable of without Azraeth slamming around in the back of the car. He reached the house, their shared home, in record time. Even for him, as he tended to push the limits of the city’s police forces, to see if any of them would catch him in the act of drag racing through the streets. Needless to say, they hadn’t. Once he was parked in the driveway, he circled around to the front door to unlock it, only to be immediately greeted by Ares and Athena bounding over to him in excitement, but Ares soon came up short as the smell of blood-- vampire blood-- hit his nose. “It’s alright, buddy…” he muttered, an attempt to sooth the dog that might have worked had he not been so tense himself. Taking the dogs by their collars, he gently lead them into the spare bedroom, closing the door behind them. Moving into their bedroom, he quickly stripped the bed of the blankets and sheets before he head back outside, leaving the door open behind him. The last thing he needed was the canines attempts to jump on Az, as they always did.

There was just as much of a struggle getting the vampire out of the car as there was getting him in, but once he had managed it, he carefully carried him inside and into the bedroom. Gently laying the man down, he took a step back and sighed. In that moment, he felt a little like a robot on auto pilot. He had a job to do, and he could let the floodgate of emotions hit him later. For now, he went into the bathroom to grab out the paramedic grade medical supplies kit (that he had gotten ahold for reason exactly like this one) so that he could clean and tend to the wounds and a washcloth, which he dropped at the side of the bed before leaving, again. Next stop, the kitchen, to get the biggest bowl they possible had and fill it with warm water, since a bath or shower was totally out of the question and the guy was a mess. As he returned to the bedroom, he stopped briefly as the doorway. It was like walking into a scene from a horror movie.

It was going to be a long night.

A Z R A E T H :

He was swimming through the darkness, in the deep down void. The waters were chill against his flesh, and his lungs burned bright red with the lack of oxygen. He could see a light filtering through the debris and weight of water crushing its pressure down on him. He moved towards the sunlight, with all of his limbs flailing, his face an unattractive purple, he supposed. He was almost there. Almost to the surface! But it wasn’t just the illuminated water he was moving towards. There was this song. The most beautiful song he had ever heard, and when he got closer to the the brighter shades of blue, he could hear it more loudly. Until it was greater than the water bearing down on him. Until it was more prominent than the pain in his chest and the burning ache in his skull created, he assumed, from the lack of air. Closer and closer he got. All of him squirmed and wormed closer. Until finally he broke through that thin membrane of nothingness separating him from life and death. He gasped for lungfuls of breath.

He could feel heat begin to dance upon his skin and tingle like the pleasing touch of a fond friend or fonder lover. His smile grew side as his legs kicked under him, and he closed his eyes. His head tipped back to bask in it.

The sunlight. The beautiful sunlight. He could see its brightness even from behind his eyelids.

And then his eyelids popped open. He was lying there. Everything hurt. It hit him all at once, and his eyes widened and filled with salty warm evidence of his distress. He was nude, which was a little alarming, but he was unbothered by it with everything else going on. There was a man hovering over him. He could hear the drip of water. There was the sensation of something warm and soft moving over his skin. He felt it touch near one of his injuries and his lips twisted even as he moved to jerk away from the touch. His eyes. Eye. His eye was filled with fear. Who was this? What were they doing to him? Where was he? Why did he hurt so much? Were they going to hurt him? He moved mostly out of instinct, scrambling up and then back towards the headboard. His jaw clenched and he blinked rapidly as tears gathered and then trickled down his cheeks. He was breathing erratically.

And that was the only reason that he paused. The scent of the other man worked its way into his nose. He was tense, which only served to make the injuries to his legs and back worse. Thankfully, the flow of blood had long since stopped. He was trembling. He looked into the other man’s eyes.

They seemed familiar.

So familiar. Green and beautiful, like he was going to get lost in them. Those were not the eyes of someone that would hurt him. Those were the eyes of someone who wanted to help him. Weren’t they. He was hesitant in his motions. He reached a hand out and patted along the surface of the bed until he caught one of the other man’s. He pulled it close and sniffed at his palm. Then he inhaled against a wrist. The fear began to fade from his eyes. In fact, his pupils dilated just a little bit. Saliva thickened in his mouth and threatened to foam into drool that might pour out of one corner. He swallowed though to prevent this. Which hurt because there were two holes in his neck. His body was beginning to repair itself at least. That was the one benefit to being a vampire. The eye which had been gouged was covered over by what looked like a thick gray cataract. The jelly-like insides were no longer flowing out.

“Hungry.” He whispered. His voice was hoarse as if he’d smoked a pack of cigarettes every hour for his entire life. It was scratchy, but one could make out the tonal quality of Az’s voice underneath that.

He continued to sniff his way up an arm, even as he grabbed the Nice Man and shoved him butt first onto the bed so he could crawl close to him, sitting in his lap, snuggling into his chest. He was still bloody in some places. His lips parted as they dragged across a chest and up. He tore at the shirt that covered the spot he wanted. And then he sank his fangs in. Blood immediately filled his mouth, which left him groaning softly and squirming all the closer, all of his limbs locked tightly around the Paladin as if he was afraid he was going to be pushed away. He drank deep. But then he got woozy as the little amount of blood in his system was diverted.

He had to pull back. His lips were bloodied. His fangs still there. He looked down.

His face seemed to gain some color as his eyes widened and he reached for a pillow. His shoulders scrunched up around his cheeks as he covered himself. “That’s only for MyFlynn. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He whispered. And then a moment later. “Are you Mr. Sunlight? I saw you when I was up from the dark place.” He insisted suddenly.

F L Y N N :

He was exhausted.

In the span of 36 hours or so, he hadn’t slept a wink. After the fight, he had stayed up all night long to care for the wounds that he could as they healed, gradually stitching themselves closed in that mystically magical way vampiric bodies (and in some instances, paladin bodies) did. Azraeth wouldn’t be waking up during the daylight hours, and while Flynn had known that, he had called the firm and informed that he wouldn’t be making it in that day. Or the next few, for that matter. Maybe it was irrational, a little unnecessary, but he wanted to be there while the vampire was in the state that he was. Coffee had been his best friend in those long hours as he merely watched the agonizingly slow healing process, but there had been some progress. A silver lining that he clung to like a life preserver, a vague sense of optimism. Az would have been proud.

That exhaustion played a role in the way he missed those eyes opening, that he wasn’t at all prepared for the sudden movement of the vampire scrambling away from him. Of course, it surprised Flynn enough that he jerked back, his own eyes widening as he registered the abject terror written across his partner’s features, the tears that streamed down his cheeks. He thought about reaching out, but somehow knew that it would only make things worse. That the look he was getting was not one of recognition, but of a stranger. Azreath had no idea who he was looking at, and a sort of crushing weight settled in Flynn’s chest, his heart threatening to shatter under the pressure.

As the second ticked by, the fear seemed to gradually fade, but no recognition took its place, even as the vampire reached out for his hand, sniffing at it. The paladin didn’t pull away, didn’t move a muscle as he came to the realization of what Az was seeking only moments before it was voiced in that hoarse whisper, and he forced back onto the bed. The piercing of those fangs in his neck no longer fazed him, as it was a nightly event, nowadays. Flynn merely tipped his head out of the way, shivering involuntarily, both from the adrenaline rush at the sudden blood loss and the tight grip the vampire had on him.

And for all the worries he had had (and still had), his boyfriend managed to ease a few with the first full sentence out of his mouth in regards to the pressure against the paladin’s abdomen. Despite the fact that Az clearly still did not know who he was, Flynn smirked and kept his eyes averted for the sake of his partner’s modesty. Well, at least even brain damaged, Az was loyal to a fault. “It’s okay. The fact it happened will stay our secret…” he mumbled, gently easing the man off of him for the sake of standing up to venture to the closet. Considering the injuries riddling his body, the human settled on one of his t-shirts and a loose pair of sweatpants which he set on the bed with a calculating look at his boyfriend. “And I suppose only you know if I’m Mr. Sunlight. You are the one that saw him.”

He gestured to the clothes his hand, a small smile lightening his somber expression. “Those are for you. To keep you covered for...YourFlynn.” There was more than a little amusement in his eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to pull the vampire against him and never let go. One step at a time, though. One baby step at a time.

A Z R A E T H :

Honestly, he wasn’t too fond of this idea of being pushed away from Mr. Sunlight’s lap, and he very nearly struggled to stay in place, but he figured...Mr. Sunlight was always right. He made Earth and everything, so it only stood to reason that he knew what he was doing. There was a brief sound of distress at the back of his throat which died away, and then he watched the man get up and move to grab some clothing, which was laid out for him. In a way that Az was pretty sure was discreet, he very gently inhaled against the clothing to make sure they were wearable. Of course discreet, when used by a brain addled vampire meant that Az buried his face in the fabric and sighed audibly when he was met with what he was looking for. He didn’t really know how to describe it, but the smell was like living warmth. It was like a soft touch and a hard body pressed against his own. It was miles and miles of deep wilderness inside of HisFlynn’s eyes. Weird how Mr. Sunlight and Flynn had the same eyes. But maybe they looked alike because God looked like whoever you loved most in life.

Or at least that was what he was slowly stitching together in his brain as he drank in more of that smell. The scent that felt like home and comfort and happiness. When he pulled back, his eyelids were a little bit heavy and he looked like he was tired. He even yawned, which he totally shouldn’t have had to do. And then he began to pull on the clothing. First were the sweatpants, and the vampire was very grateful that they were stretchy because certain parts of him were being awfully unruly. He scowled at the part of himself down there that was causing such an issue and then the t-shirt was put on as well. He moved into a wobbly stand on the bed, assessing himself. His gaze then shifted so he could look at Mr. Sunlight and then point to where there were pillows bunched against the headboard, as if to demand that the other man drop to sit there. In fact. If the god did not move to sit down immediately, that was when the whine would begin. It would start off soft and grow a little more shrill with every passing second. Because the vampire was not going to stand for...standing!

And so he waited until Mr. Sunlight was seated before he immediately found his way right back onto a lap. He curled himself close against a chest, his arms tight around a middle, his cheek laying on a shoulder so he could rub it there. “So you know MyFlynn?” He asked. It was pretty clear that he had been waiting to bring this up. And not very patiently. In fact, he immediately started into a ramble. “Can you keep a secret? It’s about MyFlynn. See he’s got this birthday coming up really really soon and I want to surprise him with a week full of gifts. I can’t wait to see the look on his face. I bet he will be sooooo happy when he sees everything. Or he might give me that Flynn look. You know the one. Where he’s all grumbly looking but really you can tell that he’s totally in love. And you know it’s important because it’s our first birthday together. Well mine was a couple months back, but we’d only just started dating. And besides, I don’t like my birthday because Ariel’s a mean dick and he ruins everything. So this is the important one and I want him to smile bigger than I’ve ever seen him smile. You think I can get him to do that?” He of course hadn’t stopped to take a breath during the whole thing. He was not naturally a quiet being and it seemed his inhibitions were slightly damaged, which meant that his already lax filter was essentially broken entirely.

“And see he’s used to being all strong and solid and solit-.” His gaze narrowed some as he struggled with the word. “Solid...no. I said that. Alone. He’s used to being alone. But I’m HisAz. Azraeth William Connors, and so you see we’re together. Like we make a pair. Like a coin’s sides or salt and pepper shakers. So I have to let him know that he’s never going to be alone again but I can’t SAY it, because he won’t believe that. I have to show it. It takes a long long time though because he was alone for so long. But that’s okay because I love him and what he doesn’t know is that I used to be really really lonely like I was just going through the motions of living, and then he came along and put his big Flynn parts in my chest and...wait.” He paused. His cheeks puffed, and his lips thinned. Then he blew out a breath. “I mean there was a hole in my chest but not a real one and he put his heart in there and now I don’t feel empty anymore, so I thank you every day that he is in my life and that he makes me so happy. Even if I don’t strictly believe in you. Sir. Mr. Sunlight God Guy. “ And then another pause. “I mean I do believe in you cuz you’re right here.” He was babbling. And had he his full faculties, he probably would have realized and stopped himself. But...he did not.

“Mr. Sunlight, can you tell me if MyFlynn is okay? And do you maybe want to hear about his voice or his eyes? What do you think of those? Sometimes his voice makes me get tingly and horny….you better not get horny around MyFlynn. That’s undignified for a god to be doing. Don’t believe what you read about those Greek and Roman deities. Shameful.” He insisted. “But anyway, sometimes his voice makes me feel warm and cozy and safe. Do you think maybe he’s eating right now? I was going to make him a cake with peanut butter frosting but I think I forgot and now what if he doesn’t have anything to eat? “ He asked. And then he finally went quiet. Really. It was the first chance that Mr. Sunlight had to respond at all, because Az had essentially gone on an enormous monologue without stopping for any place to allow for proper dialogue. He lifted a hand to rub gently against one of his neck wounds as if it was itching.

F L Y N N :

In a way, it was strange to see the uninhibited reactions Azraeth had in his current state. The way he buried his face in the clothes, the sigh of contentment that followed. It was no secret that the vampire stole Flynn’s clothes, in part, because they smelled like him and it left the impression that the paladin was ‘there’ even when he wasn’t, but he was never quite so obvious about it. As such, he had never thought much of it, in the past, just chalking it up as one of those clingy habits. And Az had a few of them, like the way he tracked the paladin down as soon as he had the opportunity, or summoned him home without warning. This time, though, he could see it; something that went a little deeper, as evidenced by the visible way that his scent, alone, seemed to simultaneously comfort and relax Az in a situation where he believed himself to be alone with a stranger while in a clearly vulnerable state. Strange, in that it was oddly touching.

Thankfully, the vampire had enough of his cognitive processes to manage getting dressed on his own. Not that Flynn would have had a problem with assisting, otherwise. He was rather talented at taking them off, so it would have been a shift to put them on, but that was irrelevant. And when that finger pointed at the bed, the demand clear in the look directed his way, the paladin eyed him for only a moment before settling himself against the headboard, legs crossed beneath him. He wasn’t sure who or what Az thought him to be, but the human wasn’t about to deny him the comfort that he sought. So, as the vampire curled up against his chest, Flynn wrapped his arms loosely around him, carefully not to disturb any of the injuries. Regardless of being Mr. Sunlight, rather than HisFlynn, the paladin was content with simply having the man close.

And then he started talking, taking off on a tangent that Flynn could barely keep up with. Starting with this mention of his birthday, which happened to be next week. Now, despite the fact that he wasn’t supposed to know about it, the surprise that Az had been working on for who knows how long had been revealed. A week full of gifts? A whole week dedicated to the one day he was born on? Without even realizing it, the human’s face fell into the exact expression the vampire referred to; eyebrows furrowing, lips pursing. Of course his boyfriend was going to go to those extremes, knowing full well that he didn’t have to. That they could have spent the night curled up in a usual horror binge and been perfectly satisfied with the way his birthday turned out. Excitement bled into the vampire’s tone like a drop of ink into a cup of water, the desire for it all to go well was more than obvious. It was important to him, incredibly so.

Leaving no room for Flynn to respond in regards to the likelihood of getting the coveted smile, Azraeth was speaking again in another rush of words, but he all but stopped listening as soon as that name passed his partner’s lips. Azraeth William Connors. Flynn was far from a sentimental guy, hardly the kind to get overly romantic or sappy. He was more likely to ruin a romantic moment with sarcasm than add to it. Yet, hearing it was a little like being back in his apartment that first night, heart suddenly pounding erratically his chest as his stomach wound itself into knots, palms feeling a little too warm. It wasn’t panic, nor was it fear. It was nervous anticipation. Because he liked the sound of it. More than that, he liked the meaning behind it, what it implied. His arms tightened, without putting enough pressure to cause any additional pain as Az continued, mentioning his own loneliness, how Flynn made him whole, happy. And in a rare occurrence, an uncomfortable stinging began in his eyes, which he rapidly blinked away. Now was not the time.

Still, no chance to talk, the vampire’s next commentary managed to chase away that sudden urge to cry as soft laughter bubbled to the surface, his head shaking. He continued to keep quiet until he was sure that the pause indicated the end of the rambling monologue, and only then did he speak. “I happen to know YourFlynn better than you think, and...I promise that your secret is safe with me. I’m sure he will be more than happy to see what it is that you put together…” he mumbled, turning his head so that his nose and lips just barely grazed against his partner’s hair, in which the metallic scent of blood still lingered. Truth be told, he was curious. Who didn’t like gifts, after all, and these were gifts from Az. That made them better, it made them mean more.

His gaze dropped so that he was looking down at the man curled into his arms, his lips pursing as he tried to determine the best way to answer the other question posed to him. There was a few minutes of contemplative silence before Flynn finally sighed, knowing he couldn’t lie to Azraeth, even in this state. “YourFlynn is okay, but he will be a lot better when he knows that you are better. He can take care of himself, don’t you worry. He’ll be there as soon as you’re ready to see him.” That seemed harmless, but true enough. When Az healed enough to think rationally, Flynn would be there, just as he was now. “That being said…” he mused, leaning back against the headboard so he could search the vampire’s expression. “You just need to focus on healing up, so you can see him. How do you...feel?”

Obviously, pretty terrible. Stupid question number one.

A Z R A E T H :

He could feel arms tightening around him, which he liked. Az was a tactile creature by nature, and he felt most comfortable when he was warm and being squeezed at least a little bit. Though there was the smallest of hiccups when Mr. Sunlight revealed that he knew MyFlynn better than Az thought. The vampire’s gaze narrowed and he was about to pull back, grab God by the ears, and ask him what the **** he meant...when it struck him. Of course! Mr. Sunlight knew EVERYONE. That was basically his only job aside from making everything wasn’t it? Okay. So crisis averted, the vampire relaxed back into place. “You really think so? I just want to make him as happy as he makes me. “ He decided.

And then Mr. Sunlight was telling him that he could see Flynn...if he felt better. Well that was all the motivation the vampire needed. He carefully straightened up in a lap, managing to only wince a little bit at the sudden shift in the wound on his back. “I’MMMMMM…..FROSTED FLAKES!” He said, trying to mimic Tony the Tiger. Of course. Something about that catchphrase seemed a little off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. And then, before Mr. Sunlight could respond, he was up on his feet, scrambling away from a chest. Okay so he was doing better...that meant he got to see MyFlynn. That was the deal and he had upheld his end of the bargain.

The first place he looked was underneath the pillows. He grabbed them and flung them away, leaning closer to see if his partner was there, but it seemed he was not. Then he was up and off the bed, flying towards the closet, which he flung open. He dove inside. He could certainly smell MyFlynn there, but despite flailing a little bit, and getting tangled, there was no mate in sight. He emerged with several articles of clothing wrapped around him. He managed to shake a few off, though not all as he circled into the en suite bathroom so he could lean over the large bath tub. Nope. Nobody there. The shower and toilet were empty too. So were the medicine cabinet and the under-vanity cupboards. Gosh. His lover sure was making him work for it.

Then he darted out of the bedroom to go and search the rest of the house. But MyFlynn was not in the fireplace or up the chimney. He was not in any of the chest which held their important belongings such as spring clothes, deadly weapons, and linens. He was not in any of the closets. He was not in the china hutch. He was not under the sink in the kitchen or in the fridge OR the freezer. He was not in any of the cabinets, which Az left open, on the off chance that MyFlynn decided to crawl out of them. He was honestly beginning to get a little desperate when he paused in his search, standing at the middle of the living area, a soft whine rising in the back of his throat. He bounced on his feet a little bit, as if trying to decide where to look next. Normally it wasn’t this hard to find him! It was like he had a sixth sense for guessing where the other man was, and he wanted that back.

Then an idea struck him. He ran back into the kitchen and grabbed a package of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. He then grabbed 1984 by George Orwell (the book Flynn was currently reading) from the coffee table and dropped to sit in a chair right beside the fireplace. The chair was an extra large Papasan with a futon covered in black velvet, which made it soft to the touch,and stuffed to the brim with so many goose down feathers that it managed to mostly retain its shape despite being extremely soft and sink-intoable. It was also covered with a thermal blanket, which Az occasionally curled up with before MyFlynn got home from work (when he had to work really late), so that he would be nice and toasty. He wrapped himself in the blanket, seated on the chair, and made sure it was turned on and up so that it would warm quickly. He then placed the Reeses package on top of his head so it would not melt, since that was the only part of him not covered.

And then it was just a waiting game.

Surely this bait would draw the elusive MyFlynn. He waited another few minutes, and then his impatience got the better of him. His cheeks puffed in frustration, and he yanked the candy off of his head, only to pull the blanket over his face to sulk.

Except…

Wait.

Why didn’t he just…

His features brightened immediately and he held his hands out in front of him. Normally, his magic required blood sacrifice to work. It was one of those weird intricacies. Most people could get away without it. Not Az. Every spell cost him at least a few drops of his precious vitality. But he didn’t have any to spare and he knew it. So he was going to have to tap into some old Shakespearean style ‘witchcraft’. “Hubble rubble, bubble gum ban! Bring me back my perfect man!” And just like that...MyFlynn was in his arms! And Mr. Sunlight seemed to have disappeared. Immediately Az clung to him with all of his limbs, and pushed candy towards his face. “MYFLYNN!” He said before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I missed you so much! There was this guy here before, and I think he was God. He looked like you and smelled like you, and he gave me a boner, but it wasn’t on purpose and I didn’t do anything with it, I PROMISE. I am telling you so you don’t think I’m a terrible husband. Are you hungry? I got these for you!”

F L Y N N :

The Paladin felt the rise of the tension in the vampire. He couldn’t say for sure what he might have said or done to cause it, but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared. The soft question brought on a subtle twitch of his lips at the corners, a smile threatening to break through. “I really think so,” he replied, nodding his head even if the vampire couldn’t really see it from his position on the human’s lap. “Though, are you sure that you don’t make him as happy as he makes you, already? What makes you think that you need to do more to please him?” Truth be told, he wasn’t expecting an answer. It was a complicated question to pose to a man who had not only one, but three significant brain injuries. Still, posing the question out loud was mostly a way of get the thought out into the open, rather than bouncing around in his head. Why was it that Az assumed he didn’t make the human that happy?

He quickly came to regret his word choice of Az seeing ‘HisFlynn’ as soon as he was better, because it set him into a flurry of motion. The human snorted at the failed catchphrase, even going so far as to correct the vampire under his breath, “It would have been…’I’m great,’ actually…” Not that it really mattered. It was still pretty adorable, even for Az who was notorious for having those kind of moments. The amusement faded as Flynn winced, visibly, at the way the vampire moved, knowing full well that it couldn’t be good for the progress of the healing process, nor could it feel good. In fact, it had to be downright painful. Except that Azreath didn’t even seem to notice much as he was on feet and tearing through the bedroom in search of, what Flynn could only assume, was him. “Uhm, Azraeth..?” he beckoned, though it seemingly fell on deaf ears once the man left the closet in a tangle of clothes and was soon off to the bathroom. After a minute or so had passed, he could only blink as Az shot out of the bedroom, apparently intending to search elsewhere.

Slipping from the bed, Flynn wandered to the doorway and paused there, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed over his chest, one ankle tucking behind the other. Rather than follow the vampire on his increasingly frantic search for the missing Paladin, the human simply watched and tracked his boyfriend’s movements with an intense focus. He half expected his partner to come to a screeching halt once the pain registered, but he seemed to be of a one-track mind and he was on a mission. Failure to find HisFlynn wasn’t an option, clearly.

A sort of amused smile took over his expression as soon as the Reeses and thermal blanket came into play, the vampire huddling under the damn thing in hopes that it would somehow serve as a beacon to signal to Flynn that he was there. It was ironic, really, considering Az’s general dislike for the ‘rule.’ To be fair, though, he had come home to find his partner wrapped up in the blanket a few times, but those moments were motivated by some level of selfishness. Meaning, the vampire had been looking for attention, and knew that by already being warmed by the blanket, he shaved at least ten minutes off the time it would take for that to happen. While his partner certainly lacked patience when he was fully functioning, it seemed to be gone almost entirely in his current state, as he pulled off his very best sulk from under the covers when HisFlynn did not arrive almost immediately.

Then that sulking shifted, that expression taking on the look of a man with an idea. As soon as he raised those hands, Flynn knew what was on his mind, his eyes widening. “No, no, wai--...” he tried to call out, only to be cut off by the summoning, moving all of the three feet into Az’s awaiting arms and being granted the usual headrush that came with the magic. Chocolatey peanut butter goodness was shoved at his face, green eyes blinking as he accepted them for the sake of getting the package out of the way. The human had no idea what had happened, or how the connection was suddenly made that allowed Az to recognize him, but the fact he did was all that mattered.

Flynn’s arms wrapped around his boyfriend, leaning in to press a gentle kiss against his cheek, “I missed you, my love.” . As hard as he tried, he couldn’t hold back the laughter as Az went on about Mr. Sunlight, quick to tell all in an effort to be completely honest. “God gave you a boner, huh? Did he take good care of you, otherwise?” he asked, raising a hand to brush his thumb lightly along the angle of the man’s jaw. “And, you should know, you could never be terrible. You’re the perfect husband,” he confirmed, the laughter dying down into a signature smirk. He would play along, for now, and as soon as his love was back to normal, this would be used against him. A lot. “Thank you for the candy. I think I’ll save it for later, though. Right now, I’m just gonna hold you, and you are going to deal with it.” Flynn highly doubted Az was gonna care. So, he went about placing a series of kisses softly against his partner’s lips, practically purring in contentment at the contact.

The kisses came to stop as a thought occurred to him, glancing at their position on the large chair. “Maybe...we should get you back to bed, first? I’m sure you’re in pain, even as you sit there and ignore it,” Without waiting for a response, he escaped from the vampire’s hold and stood. “We curl up and watch a movie, or something, so long as you are in bed.” In that same gentle way he had in the pit, Flynn gathered the vampire into his arms and marched right back into the bedroom, keeping the thermal blanket wrapped around his frame. Once he had settled Az onto the bed, he moved through the room to gather up the pillows that had been haphazardly thrown about so that he could put them back in place. All of them back on the bed, the human followed suit and settled himself back against the pillows. “Alright. You. Right here. Right now.” he demanded, pointing to his boyfriend and then his chest. Pointing to the spot beside him would have been absolutely useless, and he knew it.

A Z R A E T H :

My. Love. Flynn had called him MY LOVE. Okay so it was basically impossible for Az’s smile to get bigger than it had been when he first caught sight of his lover, not without dislocating a jaw or getting a knife, but both of those were a bit too gruesome for how the vampire felt. Just being close to Flynn was like drinking a complex cocktail. The surface thoughts themselves tended to be very strong and simple. This is my man and I LOVE HIM. L-O-V-E. LOVE! I missed him so much! Beneath that were far deeper and more intricate emotions. Happiness that the other man was there. Pride at being his partner. The desire for closeness, both physical and spiritual. Then there was the response to those words, and the following praise. Flynn said that he was the perfect husband. He probably would have gotten up to do cartwheels if the very idea didn’t seem painful to him. But he certainly did them in his mind. HIs brain itself simmered in this thick stew of hormones. Oxytocin left him practically drooling at the opportunity to cling to Flynn, and it was as if every bit of stress and doubt and pain and fear melted away and the only thing in the entire world that mattered was being with Flynn. Not that a man with three severe headwounds had much to stress about. Ignorance was bliss, after all.

The point was that he had been lost up until that moment. He had been looking for Flynn since that fight. And now he had him. And he was away from danger, and he was home.

Of course, that was a hell of a lot of emotion for someone who frankly didn’t have the processing power for it. Az didn’t have the ability to reason through what he was feeling. He didn’t have the ability to use logic to frame the moment in a way that was easy to digest. He was just raw feeling. All he knew was that he had been kept away from Flynn for what felt like a long time. And he had been in pain. And now he had Flynn and he didn’t hurt anymore, and the world was the best place it had ever been. It was the single happiest moment he had ever experienced. He opened his mouth to reply and realized that there were tears streaming down his cheeks, the saltiness of them dragging over his tongue. He looked like a blubbering idiot and he didn’t care. He was just. Enraptured. “Yeah, he was okay.” He said in response, only to worm his way closer. As if to say that God (who was ironically also Flynn), was not as good as the ‘real’ thing.

“You sure you’re not hungry? I can make you something.” He offered, even as he was squished closer to that strong chest. Which. Admittedly. Only served to make him even more at ease. And then he was being kissed. They were not the passionate variety that gave him that soul deep taste into his mate’s flavor, but something softer and briefer and sweet. And he loved them, from the hints of the taste of his partner to the way they made his heart feel like it was a helium balloon. “I love you so much.” He whispered, which was only a little ruined by the way he had to inhale to clear the mucus from his nostrils - because tears mixed with it and threatened to make his nose run. Which would have been the opposite of sexy.

Right as Flynn got up, Az’s arms lifted in the classic motion that he for sure wanted to be carried. Thankfully that’s exactly what happened. And then he was settled on the bed, with the pillows being tossed back on it. It actually took him a moment to figure out that he’d been the one to do that to them, because he had been about to comment that some jerk had thrown all of their pillows around. “Christmas movie?” He offered. Because it was that season, and Az happened to love Christmas themed movies. Didn’t matter to him if it was something classic like A Christmas Carol (or one of its seemingly hundreds of adaptations), or something more modern like National Lampoon’s. Or even something that wasn’t entirely holiday related, like Batman Returns. He just loved getting into the spirit of things. Even borked as he was.

And then Flynn was lying against the pillows and Az needed a second because he wanted to dive onto the man’s chest, and kiss his face, and crawl between his thighs. All of those were going on at once, and when he moved...he just sort of face-planted a chest after jerkily throwing himself onto the man. Nailed it. Stuck the landing all the way. He scrambled at his lover’s shirt, trying to push it up out of the way so he could crawl in there with him. Except there wasn’t enough room. He pulled back, with this vexed expression. He carefully pulled his own shirt off and went back in, his face smooshed against a pectoral, his head trying to make its way through where Flynn’s neck was. That wasn’t working either! So he growled and pushed at the other man’s shirt to get it up and over his head, giving it a toss. Then he flopped chest to chest, getting as much skin on skin contact as he could. His bottom half was still clad in sweatpants, and there was a very prominent return of an ‘old friend.’

“Baaaaaaaby.” He said, the slightest whine to his voice. “My penis is feeling very lonesome right now. One of his friends should snuggle him or maybe he could go home….” To emphasize where ‘home’ was, he glanced down to where the bed met Flynn’s backside, his fingers trailing down to lightly dig in to the other man’s hips. “...To his happy warm place.” He nodded then to make it very clear that he was entirely serious. Not that it was required, given the weight pressed against his partner’s abdomen.

And then he even popped his lower lip out a little, and laid his cheek against a shoulder so he could drag that pouting expression back and forth against the other man’s jaw softly, feeling the bristles there, and the way they made little shivers race down his spine with that warmth and familiar need. “Also I want more kisses. Lots more kisses. I’m gonna be quiet now because my mouth is gonna be on yours.” And true to his word, that’s exactly what happened.

F L Y N N :

When it came to their emotions, Azreath and Flynn were like polar opposites. Where he was notorious for keeping them buried and concealed with a practice mask of indifference, the vampire seemed to wear his on his sleeve or just had no problem expressing them when and how he felt them. Flynn knew, on some level, that they were occasionally overplayed for the sake of others being able to read him, but that was pretty much the point. And while he had never cried in front of the other man, tonight marked the second night that he witnessed tears in the vampire’s eyes. And just as before, the immediate reaction was alarm. A flash of concern appeared in the human’s gaze as it scanned over his partner’s body, seeking out an area of pain. But the way he managed to wiggle his way even closer told Flynn it had nothing to do with pain. Apparently, Az was a happy crier.

And even in a state where he could barely keep things straight, his concern for the human still managed to be paramount to everything else. A smile lit up Flynn’s face as he shook his head, his thumb trailing over a pale cheek to swipe at the streaks left behind by the tears. “I’m sure I’m not hungry. I don’t think you should be trusted in a kitchen, at the moment, anyway.” His laughter flit between them. “You might burn our new house down.” While he was coherent enough as he spoke, he had also just run through the house searching in the most unlikely of places for the Paladin, including the kitchen cabinets and the fire place. Like some game of hide and seek. Yeah, it was probably for the best that the vampire not be entrusted with a knife or open flame of any kind for the time being. “But, I love you, too.”

The suggestion of a Christmas movie once they were settled back in the bedroom had Flynn rolling his eyes. Another show of their differences, Az was clearly showing his holiday spirit while the human was content to the the Scourge of the month. Maybe he was start walking around saying ‘Bah humbug’ every time someone tried to be festive around him. As he leaned back against the pillows, he reached over for the remote to the television to turn it on and flip through the guide in search of one of those ‘24 hour holiday’ channels that popped up around his time of year. Nothing seemed to be available, though, and so he made a quick list in his head of the Christmas movies he happened to have on hand. Which, admittedly, wasn’t much. “It looks like your options are...Polar Express or Four Christmases. Take your pick,” he offered just as his partner pulled a fairly uncoordinated dive to his chest to which his eyebrows shot up toward his hairline.

Of course, the absurdity of the moment only got increased as Azreath literally tried to crawl under Flynn’s shirt. Pressing his teeth down into his lower lip as hard as he could, he effectively cut off the threatening laughter. Offering no help by removing the shirt, he simply let it all play out until the growl of annoyance on the vampire’s part nearly sent him over the edge. Okay. So, as terrible as it was, he was getting way too much amusement out of this.

Then came the proposition. The pressure against his abdomen and hips, and that none too subtle glance below the waist. Seriously, that would somehow still manage to be a concern when not long before, he could barely stand upright without wobbling because of the injuries and pain. Naturally, he knew what buttons to push in the attempt to get his way, however. Flynn shivered from a tingling sensation working its way between his shoulder blades, his head tilting away from the vampire’s lips with a huff. He didn’t provide an answer right away, as Az was talking, again, mentioning the other desire he happened to have. And this one, Flynn was more than happy to oblige.

Except, he wasn’t trying to fuel the already ignited fire that was his boyfriend, and too much of a good thing would do just that. With each kiss, which really was just one long makeout session from lack of actually pulling apart, Flynn knew it would be harder to tell Az ‘no’ and even harder for Az to accept that answer. A groan left his lips as he finally broke away, shaking his head. “As much as it pains me to say this…until those holes in your head heal, this joyride is closed.” And he couldn’t really blame the vampire for any protests that followed the statement, because certain parts of his own body were protesting it, as well. It was a big ‘**** you, Flynn’ in more ways than one.

“Which brings us back to...Polar Express or Four Christmases. You are the one that wanted to watch a Christmas movie.” Distraction. It was necessary.

A Z R A E T H :

MmmmmyFlynntaste. That was legitimately the only thing the vampire could come close to thinking about when his lips were locked with his mate’s and he was pressed as close as possible. Of course, his hips themselves periodically moved when a particularly strong pang of desire curled inside of his gut and made biology demand more of him. Just a little bit of friction could go a long way. For the most part though, what he loved most was the comforting flavor of his partner on his tongue, the way he could suckle on a tongue as if trying to rehome it in his own mouth, a slow and drawn out expression of his love. It was, in no way, vigorous or demanding, just soft and continuous, with the injured Mystic exploring the way those tastebuds felt against his upper lip, and how his own muscle was able to caress across the veined bottom of that intruding wetness. It was like someone was pouring flames right into the very core of him, and he actually shivered, little goosbumps rising on his skin. And that only served to fuel his need to get closer, until his arms were curled around a neck, his fingers tangled in hair. He whimpered when the other man pulled away. His eye was giving him troubles. Probably because the pupil was blown out.

So engrossed was he in nibbling on his partner’s lower lip, that he didn’t hear the rejection at first. And then it sank in.

Wait.

What?

He leaned back and stared at Flynn for a moment. And then his brows furrowed, and his lower lip seemed to bulge. “But you’re MY joyride!” He said. His features overcast, and his arms folded over his chest as he glowered at the other man, much like a child who had just had a toy taken away from them. He was not a happy camper, and as the seconds ticked away, he glanced from Flynn to the television and then back to the Paladin. He very much wanted to watch a movie. But he also wanted to do...what exactly had he wanted? He didn’t even remember anymore, actually. He just recalled that he had asked for something. And that HIS man had turned him down. And now he was deprived! Left out in the snow! Desolate! He had absolutely no clue how he was going to survive. Especially when he was vexed with his usual source of comfort. It was like being really mad at your security blanket for some unknown reason.

Eventually, he scooted back, and sat down on the bed, legs crossed, shoulders hunched in, back arched as he stared at Flynn accusingly. “Polar express.” He finally said. His tone had completely changed. It had become far more clipped.

And then moments later, Flynn was getting up off of the bed, putting in the movie. And Az’s attention was stolen by that. The colors were so cold and pretty. It was like a beautiful winter scene that he wanted to crawl into. And then his mate was back on the bed, so Az crawled closer to him. His own face hurt for some reason. He’d been scowling? Why had he been scowling? Something had obviously upset him, though he could not, for the life of him, figure out exactly what it was that had made him so unhappy. So he decided the best move was to flop against his Paladin’s chest so that he could be happy again. Easy fix, right? The best fix. He did exactly that. His cheek rubbed against where he could hear the other man’s heart beating. The sound was rhythmic. How many times had he gone to sleep listening to it? It was secretly one of his favorite sounds. He then grabbed his partner’s hand, dragged it close, and impulsively stuffed one of Flynn’s thumbs right into his mouth to suckle. Which was not a clean process by any means. Which was to say that the vampire got a LOT of drool all over the mortal’s hand.

But. With the movie playing, and the taste of his partner, and the sound of his heartbeat, and with his body still working in overdrive to try and repair itself, his eyelids almost immediately got heavy. He was a tired Az.

And right as he was about to ask Flynn why he had been upset...he fell asleep.

F L Y N N :

Azraeth wouldn’t have taken rejection particularly well even fully functional, so it came as no surprise that he reacted the way he did when he seemed to be operating purely on the most primal of instincts. The way his eyes seemed to narrow, lips forming into an annoyed pout. He was the perfect image of a child who had just been told they couldn’t have dessert until they finished eating their vegetables, or that they had to go bed because it was a school night. In fact, the vampire shared quite a few similarities with his favorite human child in the midst of his tantrum. That was why this approach to the rejection was, ultimately, a wasted effort on his part. The Paladin had more than enough experience with children that didn’t get their way, and this was no different. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s for your own good!” he insisted, even if it fell on deaf ears, as the vampire was lost to his little hissy fit.

His boyfriend took that as his cue to back away from him completely, leaving Flynn to deadpan at his attitude. Now, the action didn’t remind him so much of a child. Now, Az reminded him a little more of a rebellious teenager, thanks to the accusing stare directed his way and the clipped tone. At the very least, the Paladin got an answer to his question. With a withering look at his partner, he climbed off the bed. When it came to their many movies, Flynn had purposely set aside any and all that were appropriate to watch with Liam, in part because it gave the boy his own special section and the ease of finding them. Polar Express was among them, which he went about starting up before finally returning to the bed to settle back down in his spot.

Clearly, the movie was enough to distract the vampire from his previous mood, because it was only moments after Flynn had gotten comfortable that he was being snuggled up against. With one arm wrapped around his partner’s back, a hand rose to thread through the dark locks in an attempt to relax the man further. Honestly, the guy needed to stay still and let his body heal. Without the setback for each time he thought it would suit him to move around in ways that he really shouldn’t have been.

And then, the thumb of his free hand was in a mouth and he froze. Honestly, had this been happening at a point in time where his boyfriend wasn’t quite literally broken, that had the potential to be pretty hot. Or, a lot. But, as it so happened, the vampire was back to coming across as more childish than anything. Except, rather than suck his own thumb, he decided to use Flynn’s. If it weren’t the fact he had religiously washed his hands far too many times in the last 36 hours (even though germs and infection weren’t exactly a concern in this case), he might have found it a little gross. What he did find a little gross, considering the context of the situation, was the fact that he hand might as well have been dipped in bowl of saliva, the way the drool seemed to coat it. His nose wrinkled, but he allowed it all to continue. Because, what good would another temper tantrum do.

Just as he was about to speak up again, his gaze dropped to the vampire on his chest, only to see the man was out cold. Which was probably for the best, in the end.

With a small smile, Flynn leaned in and pressed a kiss to the top of Az’s head and lowered the volume on the television. He had no intentions of watching it, really, but it was background noise. For now, he would do exactly what he had done the night before.

Watch and wait.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

A Z R A E T H :

Eyelids slid open, revealing a pair of deep blue pools that were crystal clear and were each bisected by a black gash. His pupils. He inhaled, and the scent of his partner was immediately relaxing, leaving him slowly stretching. Comfortable. He sat up, and then he stood up, his shoulders slumped a little bit. There was the scent of something. Something that reminded him of his childhood, and on a whim, he gave a little bounce on the bed. The springs creaked and carried him up. His eyes widened, and his grin blossomed into something huge and toothy. His wounds had all but disappeared in the previous few days. He no longer hurt anywhere, though his hunger was this persistent thing, a gnawing ache inside of him that grew stronger and stronger with every passing day. He desperately wanted to feed, but found it almost impossible to when he was as injured as he had been. So there he was, jumping on his bed, which inevitably resulted in laughter.

And that was when he realized what the scent was. Pizza! He hopped down. Normally he would have been garbed in nothing but his charm and good sense, but Flynn had been very insistent that he remain mostly clothed. Which. Had Az the power to reason very deeply, he probably would have realized was because his partner missed the intimacy of their closest touches just as much as he did.

He padded out of the bedroom and towards the front entrance, which opened into the living room. And that was when he caught sight of it. There was a man in his house! There was a man he did not know! In HIS house. Talking to HIS Flynn. He marched right over. There were pizzas in Flynn’s hands, and the Paladin was stepping back. Az reared back like a feline about to strike, and his fist collided with the face of this unknown person who had invaded his domain without his permission, who was talking to his mate. WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION. He socked the guy in the face with so much force that there was a popping sound. Flesh immediately went mottled. The pizza delivery man was taller than average and gangly, which meant that Az had to try a little bit harder to reach him. Not that the Mystic was short. But this delivery guy was just absurdly tall. And he went down like a sack of bricks.

Az was on him in an instant. There was one of those red insulation pouches off to one side. A nose was broken and blood poured out of it. Hands came up to defend him from the attack. “Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” It was right about then that arms scooped him up. Pizza had been placed down, and the vampire was lifted up and away, but his arms and legs still scrambled at the offending person. He snarled, and was about to elbow someone right in the face. Except he realized it was Flynn. So he went limp. He watched as the mortal quickly gathered his things, yowling something at them about ‘**** them’ and ‘**** this city’ and how he would tell all of the other pizza delivery boys and they’d better not expect not to have spit on their pizza ever again.

But he disappeared none-the-less. For the most part, no more worse for the wear. Which indicated that, despite how enraged the vampire had seemed, he had pulled his punches. Perhaps it was some aspect of his subconscious mind that was aware the pizza delivery guy had done nothing wrong and Azraeth was being totally irrational. Whatever the case, the vampire twisted, and curled his legs around a middle, his arms around a neck, squeezing close. “I don’t like that guy.” He said as he buried his features against a collarbone and inhaled lightly. Which was right about the time the scent of pizza hit him again. “I’m hungry too.” He admitted a moment later, tongue sliding free from where it had been caged behind his teeth so that he could drag it slowly over the chorded musculature at the shoulder, leading into the neck. He didn’t immediately bite down. Instead, he nipped when he found a pulse and then suckled softly. The salt of skin made him shiver, and the intensity of it increased until there would be a resultant bruise for sure. “Can I?” he asked, his voice low and a little husky, his fangs having already extended so that they caressed against the spot he’d darkened just barely.

F L Y N N :

Five days had never passed so slowly. It felt a little like taking care of a toddler, in some cases, due to the loss of inhibitions and judgment in Azreath, the head wounds taking their toll longer than many of the other injuries. It had taken quite a bit of patience, which had waned more than once in the face of his vampire boyfriend’s insistence that things go his way. Still, the two of them had managed to get through it, with little to no incidence. Now, the wounds had all but healed and when the vampire finally awoke, his full faculties should hopefully have returned to him. And if that were the case, then the Paladin would be free to give the vampire a hard time over the many childish behaviors he had taken part in. Or, and this was something he planned to save for the perfect moment, the fact that the vampire had insisted the entire time, that they were married.

Az had also insisted that he needed to feed the human, constantly offering to make him something should he feel the slightest bit hungry. Flynn assumed that it was due to his partner’s own hunger and drive for blood that he couldn’t satiate; a need to feel as though he was addressing a concern that was always forefront in his mind. And when he lacked the potential cognitive abilities to realize he was projecting his own hunger, it just seemed to be the most likely reason. As it was, Flynn wasn’t trying to have a bomb go off in their kitchen, or worse, their house to burn down, so he had always refused, only eating and cooking in the hours that the vampire was deeply asleep.

Except tonight. The craving for pizza had hit him so hard that he could practically taste it, his mouth immediately beginning to water. Azraeth enjoyed cooking for Flynn, and that meant he more often had home cooked meals than anything else, so the sudden desire for the greasy treat was too much to ignore. So, when the knock came at the front door for the delivery, he was up in an instant. His stomach was already complaining, aching for the first bite. He just barely registered the sound of laughter in the background, signalling to him that his boyfriend was finally awake as he accepted the box. “Let me just set these down…” he offered, taking a step away from the door so that he could place them on the coffee table.
Which was the point where everything quickly dissolved into chaos.

The punch to the pizza guy’s face happened so quickly that Flynn barely had a chance to react before it was over, the poor guy dropping to the floor in an instant. And then Az was on him, demanding answers as blood pooled over the man’s face. The Paladin’s shock wore off immediately after, the pizzas being dropped to the table unceremoniously so that he wrap his arms around his boyfriend, hauling him away from the innocent guy. “Alright, fiesty pants. We need to let the pizza boy go,” he muttered, leaning his head away from a snarling vampire locked in his hold as an elbow threatened to come dangerous close to hitting his face. Seeming to realize how it was that had him, the frantic movements came to a stop, but Flynn’s hold tightened as the guy scrambled to his feet, muttering. He could just see Az chasing him down, especially considering the blood involved in the situation.

Once the door was closed behind the pizza delivery guy, Flynn sighed and his grip loosened just enough so that Az managed to twist in his arms with ease. “Oh, yeah? And what is it that the poor guy did to offend you?” he asked, squeezing the man in his arms in a less than effective reprimand for his actions. Of course, the Paladin didn’t care all that much, because he was fairly certain a part of it was just the fact that the guy had been there and in his personal space. Like a dog defending his territory. A shiver took hold between his shoulder blades at the attention to his neck. Due to the frequency of the feedings, each time the vampire was near his neck, his body seemed tense in pleasant anticipation, even when those fangs never pierced skin. The question that soon followed made him blink, and had Az’s face not been nuzzled into his neck, Flynn might have stared at him in disbelief. As it was, he could only convey the feeling by his tone of voice, “Since when do you ask?” The answer to that question was...never. He never asked. “You already know that you can.”

With fairly good knowledge of how this would work, Flynn took the few steps back in the direction of the couch. When the fangs landed, and the rush of adrenaline, it would really be for the best that he not be supporting both of them. Or, at the very least, Az was hitting the floor.

A Z R A E T H :

At first, Az did not answer the question, because it was a situation where things were so crystal clear to him, that he just didn’t see why anyone else would see them differently. Like if someone were to have legitimately asked as to the color of the sky. Blue. Just like grass was green, and puppies were cute. The concepts were essentially incontrovertible truths, and that meant that they weren’t really questioned. It was the same. Why had he attacked the pizza guy? Why had he been offended? “I saw that pizza.” He insisted. “Who told him he could make you food or bring you food? That’s MY job. I’m the only one allowed to put stuff in you.” Once again. Incontrovertible fact. This was not a subject that was up for debate. “Plus he was in my house and nobody told him he was allowed to talk to you. Your...all of you belongs to me.” Okay. So maybe that made Flynn sound a little bit like a possession. Like he was property. But that could be blamed perhaps on the lack of depth to Azraeth’s thoughts. For example, the depth of need he felt associated with his mate, the way he associated Flynn with lust and comfort and happiness - all of that didn’t necessarily register at exactly the same time. Like how when colors were mixed together to make a new color. To the Mystic. In his simple thinking mind, what all of that meant was that Flynn was his. Incontrovertible fact.

Soon they were seated on the couch, which was to say the Paladin was seated and Az was on his knees, hovering overtop his lover. His hands slipped. Digits parted and the tips of his fingers dug into a scalp - not enough to hurt, but enough to coat them in that scent of his partner, to feel the warmth there. He gripped and pulled until his partner’s head strained to one side, and that pulse point popped out just a little bit. He watched it. He could hear the other man’s heartbeat pick up its pace. Serpentine pupils threatened to spread and eat up all of the blue of his gaze. He looked hungry. Starved. Like he hadn’t eaten in a year. And yet it wasn’t just food he looked like he was in need of. There was a mark on Flynn. It wasn’t very old, and Az had put it there. It was a symbol that represented that marking of territory. His tongue dragged across that spot to taste where he had suckled only a moment before. His hips pressed closer so that Flynn could feel the mimicry of that pump in his chest in the throb of Az’s wanting, which was tucked between them, and which brushed unapologetically against the firmness of the human’s abdomen.

He had been given permission. So he took it without question. His fangs pressed against that spot, sensitised by the previous manhandling. Blood exploded into his mouth, and the vampire shuddered. It was divine ichor dragging across his tongue. It was hard to describe what he tasted when fed from his partner, because it came to him in different levels. In the most basic and sensory of senses, there was this richness and copper. But deeper than that, there were the memories laced into his feeding patterns. The way that it took Azraeth back to the very first time he had taken from Flynn, which had also been the night of their first kiss. The night of their first many things. There was the undeniable presence of something that was exclusively the Paladin, and that part was intoxicating. Better than any drug though. And then there were whispers of other things. Of many moments from the past. Of laughter and love, and heartache. He could taste the very life of the man he loved, distilled into droplets of such potent vitality that they defied his ability to understand them. In that way though; it was easy to say exactly what the human’s flavor was. Sex, happiness, commitment, love, devotion. Music. LIke drinking a melody.

He growled a low sound when that heartbeat began to slow just a little bit. He had to pull back. But he was so hungry. He could have drained the other male absolutely dry, until there was nothing left inside of him. Until he was a husk. And he wanted to. He wanted to consume everything his mate was. And that was what made him jerk back. His eyes widened in terror for a moment. His lips themselves were bloodied. Some of that redness had run down his chin. He panted out a breath. The bite wound was already stitching back together, and he lifted a hand to wipe at his mouth and chin, tongue moving to lap away every single bit of what was there, until there wasn’t even a hint of redness. Not even the tiniest diluted streak. “I love you so ******* much.” He whispered. And that physical hunger was replaced with something else. Like the rise of Leviathan from the heart of the deepest waters. Their lips met. And there again was that flavor. But he wasn’t content to just suckle on the other man’s tongue as he had in previous days. It wasn’t an invitation, but a declaration of love and war. His own hot muscle forced its way inside of the other man to occupy the space, to drag over teeth and caress over tastebuds. He lapped deep and low, as if to caress the back of a throat. And the vampire’s head turned to one side so their lips could slot together, and he could get just a little deeper.

It seemed he was hungry indeed.

F L Y N N :

The silence between the time he had posed the question and the answer Azreath provided had Flynn’s mind turning. It had been a teasing question, a joke in regards to the behavior that had just been displayed. But, looking at the expression on his partner’s face, it was clear that it was not something the man took lightly. Of course, the Paladin had already known that, to an extent. The clinginess involved in their relationship was indication enough that some level of possessiveness would exist. Up until that point, nothing had really happened to test those boundaries. To see how far one of them could be pushed before it caused a problem. Except that Flynn wouldn’t have expected this to be a breaking a point, a reason for his boyfriend to lose that composure. Tipping his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowed and lips twitching into the signature smirk. “I wouldn’t dream of denying any of that, but...by ordering the pizza, I was the one who gave him permission to be here, at our house.” As hard as he tried, he couldn’t hold back a small chuckle. “And, had you left things alone, he probably would have left with very minimal conversation and a chance I could get pizza in the future without spit as a main ingredient.”

Sinking onto the couch brought out a small sigh, his body relaxing against the plush cushions with Az all but straddling his lap. The pizza, for the moment, was all but forgotten as he looked up at the vampire. His gaze was piercing, assessing. It had been nearly a week, and the wounds had healed, but the man honestly looked sick. More than that, he actually resembled a terminally ill patient that was in the final stretches. If it were at all possible, he appeared paler than usual and there was a gauntness to his features to suggest he wasn’t capable of keeping food down. That might not have been so far off, considering that Az had barely managed to feed over the course of the five days, taking the bare minimum before he was forced to stop due to his injuries. And the effect on the vampire was pretty substantial, considering. He could see that need in his boyfriend’s eyes, and feel a different need entirely against his torso. For that reason, he didn’t protest the manhandling to position his head out of the way and fully expose that vulnerable spot. The rush of adrenaline from before had started to wane, only for it to flood his system once more as soon as he felt the brush of fangs

There was a barely audible ‘pop’ sound as they broke skin and the initial pain made the Paladin’s breathing hitch, his eyes closing against the suddenly violent urge to try and jerk away. For as close as they were, and often as Azraeth fed from him, that reaction never faded; survival instincts trumping all others. It was like, for that brief second in time, all knowledge of exactly who had their fangs in his neck was lost in a thick fog of involuntary gut reaction, with only two options; fight or flight. Flynn had since become a master as fighting against his own instincts, though, forcing himself to relax as more of that essential vitality flowed freely over his partner’s lips. Everything was crystal clear, like putting on the world’s most powerful pair of glasses as the world came into sharper focus as his mind struggled to keep up with the moment through a cocktail of chemicals. As if the vampire needed any help, his heart beat erratically in his chest, working harder to pump the blood throughout his system. And finally the floodgates of the pleasurable aftermath took hold, his body trembling as that clarity seemed to dull and blur around the edges of his vision, darkened as if by shadows. That was usually the point where it ended; when Az pulled away. When he didn’t, Flynn was met with his first dose of fear.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, it faded with retraction of fangs. A dull ache remained at the sight of the assault, even as the flesh healed over relatively quickly. The human lifted his head, slowly, blinking rapidly at the fear reflected in his partner’s eyes. Everything was still a little fuzzy, his thoughts all a jumbled mess despite the fact he tried to form one coherent thought in the face of the vampire’s terror. Nothing came forward in time, not before Az was whispering and their lips were pressed together in that unrestrained passion. A tongue invaded his mouth, bringing with it a lingering metallic taste of his own blood, much like the copper of an old penny. That didn’t stop him from taking part in that intricate dance, allowing his own tongue to slide against the underside of his partner’s, as if to entice him in deeper. Which is exactly what he got. His arms circle around the vampire, and a hand slipped seamlessly into the dark locks at the base of the man’s neck, locking him in place for another minute before tugging him backwards and away. The kiss broken, he sat their breathless, but smiling.

“I have fresh pizza sitting on a table, and after that near frenzy moment...I need the nourishment or risk passing out on you from any rigorous activity. Such as the one you clearly have in mind…” he trailed off, letting that hand slip from Azraeth’s neck and down over a shoulder and chest to massage against the evidence of that deeper, insatiable hunger. It was teasing, and perhaps a little cruel, but it couldn’t be helped. The vampire was the reason behind the delay, after all. It was his fault. “Pause?”

A Z R A E T H :

Drinking his lover’s blood was not just about the taste of copper, but about every other aspect of the action. In fact, the argument might have been made that it was least about the feeding itself and mostly about the sounds Flynn made, the mild euphoria that followed like a bridge between the two of them, or the intimacy that said such a feeding was only to be carried out between the two men. Any starving vampire might have looked at a mortal as a meal. In a way, it was a testament to how much Az loved his partner, that in a situation where it might have been common for him to have drank deeply and ended up surrounded by corpses and covered in the congealing evidence of their demise, he had instead pulled back. His response to Flynn when describing the arrival of the man with the pizza had been a very simple one. I still don’t like that guy. And in a way, the shared moment of longing for food and for something more was like an assertion of ownership. Not that Az necessarily intended it that way on anything more than a subconscious level.

And then a hand touched him. He felt the trail of it flowing downwards and then it hit that place, that bundle of growing warmth that ironically drew its heat from the other man’s lifeforce, and which was tied rhythmically to Flynn’s heartbeat. The vampire’s toes curled slowly and his features went almost entirely slack. It was an expression of relaxation that was perhaps less appealing than intended. More like a canine companion being rubbed in the right spot to achieve the greatest amount of comfort and bonding with a human owner as opposed to the expression of a lover enticed deeper into a hormone fueled encounter. Azraeth was not in control of his features just then though. He was still as expressive as always, but he could force no artiface into his lips or eyes, so they plainly showed precisely what he was feeling. His neck was hot and reddish pink. And he wriggled closer, trying to get more of that hand against him.

But then he heard that word. Pause. Pause?! “PAUSE!?” he asked, the word an accusation. Except. His Flynn was hungry. And there was pizza . So he, rather than sulk or throw a tantrum, pressed a hand to the middle of a chest. “Stay.” He said before he dragged himself away from his partner so that he could go to get a plate from the kitchen, and then pull open the refrigerator and nab some of the grated parmesan. He then gathered up a couple of pieces of the pizza and proceeded to dump a small mountain of the powdered cheese on top before returning. He placed the food in his partner’s lap, and then grabbed the remote. The couch was in front of the fireplace, and above that was an image of the pair of them. He hit a button and the image suddenly changed from a still of them at the Black Tie event hosted by Enver during Humanity Week, to a menu which consisted of the numerous channels and applications available to them. He ended up picking Netflix of all things, so he could put on Gremlins. Which. Was a Christmas movie. The best kind of Christmas movie - one that was also a horror. And filled with all sorts of camp humor.

Only then did he flop right back into place against his mate’s side, so that he could wiggle to press their sides together. His legs tucked under himself, he reached for one of Flynn’s hands, and then dragged it to press between his thighs. As if to say ‘You can eat, but you had better not forget about what you did.’. Of course. There was a modest layer of sweatpants there, which somewhat protected the image of modesty, even if the image of it was a total and complete farce.

If anything, it seemed as if Azraeth was very slowly coming back to himself. Every day, he did a few little things that made it seem like he was completely healthy. Some of his mannerisms returned one after the other. It indicated on some level that he was healing up. Not just from the physical damage, but from the extreme trauma to his brain. “I love you.” He whispered against Flynn’s shoulder before glancing over his profile. “Some people are never lucky enough to meet the other half of themselves. How wrong would it be for me not to cherish every single moment I have with you?” He asked. And this was one of those moments. One of those few scattered seconds when Azraeth seemed to totally be himself. When he seemed like he had come back from the pit deep inside of himself where he had hidden from the world while he was mending. “Now eat your pizza. I made it extra delicious.” He insisted, referring of course, to the mountain of parmesan.

F L Y N N :

He received exactly the response he had expected to at the suggestion of a temporary detour in the activity. Had he not, the trajectory of where things were headed was equally clear to both of them. They had a habit of landing on the fast track with the smallest form of affection, and it was honestly a wonder that they left their house at all some days. Flynn could have laughed, then, at the accusation, though. Like he had purposely teased his vampire with every intention of not going through it. Truth be told, he had planned to eat before he did anything else. He couldn’t be the one to blame for the fact that the act of feeding was tied to deeply intimate moments. Either as a lead into them, or taking place during, Times when Azraeth seemed to react more on instinct than logic. It wasn’t necessary something unique to them, but it worked in bringing them closer. And honestly, that was half the point.

Even still, that didn’t stop his partner from taking his self-appointed role as ‘sole provider’ seriously enough to get up. Flynn opened his mouth, as if to the call the vampire back to his side, only to close it once more with a shake of his head. It was safer to allow the man to do as he wanted, and trying to dissuade him would only have resulted in some kind of debate. So, the Paladin did as he was requested and stayed put, only moving so much as to rest against the arm of the couch, with one leg hanging off the side with foot flat on the ground and the other tucked beneath him. “Thank you,” he offered as the plate came to rest in his lap, his eyes locked on the mountain of grated cheese that decorated his pizza. “And as much as I love being catered to and everything, you really shouldn’t let me get into the habit of being lazy. Making dinner together is one thing, but when it’s already made, I think it would be okay for me to get it myself.” That was to say, Az could be the only one allowed to feed Flynn...except for the Paladin, himself.

Letting his eyes drift above the fireplace as the Netflix logo appeared, he watched in curiosity while his partner searched through the options, only to land on Gremlins of all things. It was one of those movies that people claimed were Christmas movies, but were, in fact, far from it. Like Die Hard. “If we ever get another pet, I’m calling it Gremlin. I don’t care if that would actually be its name or not, either,” he commented, shooting a look at Az as he settled back down against his side. That, or he would nickname Ares or Athena that...probably Ares. Flynn made no comment as to the chosen placement of his hand, but he snorted in some vague sort of acknowledgement to the underlying message. He hadn’t thought to deter it for long, anyway.

With a glance back down at his lap, he considered how much of the cheese mountain he might keep as he heard the whispered words, the question tacked on at the end. Blinking, he turned his head to meet the piercing blue of Azraeth’s gaze. It wasn’t uncommon for him to say things like it, to express in some poetic way how he felt. But it had been five days since it had come out quite so...smoothly, and without a hint of some sexual undertones. “I love you, too.” The sentiment was quiet, soft even to his own ears, but less so to the vampire. “I assume that was a rhetorical question, and so I won’t answer it.” Taking in a deep breath through his nose, eyes trained on his lover’s, he grinned. “You know. Someone told me once that I should be prepared for the day I met someone that I couldn’t walk away from…except I’m not sure what it was that I should have been prepared for. Being with you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

And because that was a rare display of emotion for the Paladin, he quickly broke that stare to glare at the pizza in his lap. The man hadn’t eaten a damn thing in six years, and who was to say that he even knew what tasted good, anymore? “And, on that note...I have to ask...why does the pizza need even more cheese?” he asked, swiping a finger over the top half of the mound so that a portion landed on the plate, rather than on the slices. What remained on the slice, he pushed around so that it was evenly spread, to avoid any bites where there would be more parmesan than anything else.

A Z R A E T H :

He sat there and he absorbed the other man’s words; this was perhaps the greatest indication that he was becoming himself again. His ability to form deeper thoughts. To retrieve the memories buried inside of the turbulent waters of his mind. As if he was a swimmer with but a small light, searching for treasures which had long since sunk to the bottom. He listened closely, and to the exclusion of all else. His eyes even slipped shut, as he ran those words through his mind once more, and played over the expression his partner wore. The smell of him. The feel of his body heat. He was silent in his journey. As he listened over and over again, as if he was not just looking for treasure, but as if he had a few pieces of gold clasped in one hand and he was desperately struggling internally to find a chest to place them in. Not a pirate. Just a man who had learned many years before that memories were powerful things, that happiness and love were the type that needed to be held onto for those rainy days, when the world abandoned you and when battles were lost.

“It’s like our vows.” He said. And in that one sentence, he revealed that he wasn’t truly back. Not yet. Not entirely. His eyes remained closed, as if he were remembering something else. Snippets of it. The falling of spring petals across their path. The gathering of their loved ones around them. The daylight sprinkling down upon them warm and soft, diffused by the thick atmosphere. Something about that didn’t make sense, but he couldn’t put his finger precisely on what. And then they got to the part he had just been talking about. “Flynn Lee Connors. I take you on this day, and for every day afterwards, to be my one and my only. I promise to cherish every moment, every smile, every bit of laughter. You may not know this, but being with you has taught me how to love. Not love in general. But love myself. You have shown me, in the reflection of your eyes, that I am worthy of being held, and of holding joy in my heart. Leave it to a silly academic like me to think in those terms. To see the mate to my soul, my other half, in the one who, with his very presence, makes me see the entire world in a new light.

My love for you is like a towering tree with roots deep within my soul, and yet with arms that are always reaching upwards and outwards. To say that you have made me the happiest and the luckiest man in the world would almost be trite, because what I feel for you can’t be summarized in just a handful of words. It is in every expression you wear, and in the way you look into my eyes. It’s in the way your arms feel around me, and in that kind, good part of you that brings out the very best of me. The me that I love the most.

It’s in the way you make home, and how our home is filled with music.

I don’t just take you as my husband. I take you as the only person in the world I cannot be without. Without you, the me you know does not live. I love you from the core of my being. From the center of all that I am. I love you and I swear today that I will always do everything in my power, give all that I am, to let you know how I feel. To make you know that, whenever you reach out in the night, it will be my hand you find. That I won’t ever let you go.”

When he was done, only then did he open his eyes, so he could let his arms tighten slowly around the other man’s form, them having slipped, one underneath a back, and the other tucked over a chest. He was content to leave it at that.

Except there was something nagging at the back of his mind. In all of his memories of their wedding day, there was sunlight. Sunlight which did not burn him. Which did not send him into a deep slumber. How was that even possible?

Which was when it hit him that those memories had been dreams. In some cases fantasies. In some cases the variety which came while tugged deep into torpor. And Flynn had said nothing. Had not corrected him. For that, he was silently grateful, though he didn’t entirely know why. His lips parted. He wanted to say ‘oh’. He wanted to say ‘nevermind’. Except the words were still true, and he wasn’t going to make a liar of himself. Instead he just decided to close his lips and pretend the whole thing had never happened.

He pressed a kiss against his Paladin’s temple. “You won’t ever be alone.” This time it was not vows. It was not a memory or a dream or a fantasy. It was just from him to his partner. “Eat your dinner quickly. I don’t want to watch Gremlins anymore. I want to take you to our room, put on some music, and remember the first time I told you I love you.”

F L Y N N :

Generally speaking, the Paladin wasn’t an outwardly passionate person. Which wasn’t to say that he didn’t have those strong emotions, but the extent to which he did was rarely put on display or voiced aloud. Even with Azraeth, who happened to be one of two people that Flynn felt was even deserving enough to see them. On that front, the vampire was his pposite with his tendency toward full disclosure, but the human usually relied heavily on introspection. More often than not, he would sit quietly for hours, lost in his own mind as he attempted to work through any emotion that plagued him on more than a surface level. And when it came to their relationship, he had spent more than a few afternoons doing just that, when the sun was high and the reason for them was fast asleep. Especially in the beginning when his uncertainty ran rampant. Now...it wasn’t a matter of being insecure in what Az made him feel, but the opposite. The genuine happiness and love that coursed through his veins with a simple thought, and the strength they possessed. He knew he didn’t have to say it, that it was known. But, sometimes...sometimes, he knew they needed to be heard. That was the hardest part to do.

Then, there were times where they just seemed to slip so effortlessly off his tongue that it didn’t register until they were already said. It was one of those moments as Flynn kept his eyes on the plate in his lap. The perception of vulnerability that came from expressing such a simple sentiment was absolutely ridiculous, and he knew it, but that didn’t stop him from trying to keep his attention on anything else. Which is why the silence on Az’s part didn’t immediately take his notice, even after having posed a question. Only when he was sure he couldn’t even out the parmesan any further did he send a sidelong glance at his partner to find those bottomless blue eyes closed. He knew better than to think the man had fallen asleep, but he had long since learned that the quiet moments came with complex thought. When the Paladin opened his mouth to ask if he was alright, there was mention of vows. Wedding vows.

Flynn’s eyebrows came together in a furrow. He was on the verge of cutting Az off, to finally put an end to the apparent delusion the head trauma had brought on. Because a ‘vow’ was a fancy word for a promise. He hated promises. Except, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was listening to the sound of his full name on his lover’s lips followed by what became the obvious beginnings of that very thing. For the life of him, he couldn’t force the words out to stop the vampire. It was, in part, because he just wanted to hear them. It had never really happened, they had never gotten married. But, in order for that intense of a delusion to exist, wouldn’t there have to be the foundation to build it? The feeling to back it up? Of course, his knowledge of psychology and brain chemistry was limited, at best, so he could have been full of ****.

When that speech came to an end, it was the Paladin’s turn to sit there in silence. There was a lot of unpack, absorb and store away...but most of all, it was just a lot of feelings to sift through. Not only his own, but his partner’s, too. Azraeth had always been very open about them, but when Flynn refused to live on promises and misguided hopes...it meant he didn’t often consider ‘forever.’ Least of all in terms of a relationship. That wasn’t to say he just assumed it would one day end. Just that he didn’t allow himself to grasp onto a future that had the potential of never coming to pass...an easy way to a broken heart. Call him a cynic, but the vampire knew it as well as he did. Hell, even in this state, the man brought up the fact the human relied on action, not words. Az had to show him, he couldn’t just say it. It was the very center to his ‘commitment issues,’ and he damn well knew it.

The promises spoken were just that. Words. Nothing more.

And yet...as bits and pieces of those vows played themselves out over and over like a song on repeat, everything sort of...shifted. For the first time, the silence existed in more than just between the two of them, but in Flynn’s own head. There was no rising flood of panic. No uncomfortable desire to drive the conversation in another direction. Not a single sarcastic comment came to mind to combat the emotional overdrive. In fact, he feel surprisingly calm. Eerily so. More eerie than that was the fact he was completely okay with it.
Easing the vampire away, the Paladin stood with the plate in hand. “I’m...suddenly not very hungry,” he said as means of an explanation, voice soft, before making his way into the kitchen. The pizza was slid back into the box, top closed, and the plate placed down on the counter for use later, when his stomach would inevitably demand to be fed. Microwaves worked just as well. Returning to the living room, he stopped in front of the couch with a hand held out for Az. “Come on, then. Let’s go and recreate the black tie event. But, I’m not putting on a suit.”

A Z R A E T H :

There was a hand held out for him to take, and Azraeth stared at it for a moment. It echoed a moment in their past, when it had been Az reaching out to Flynn. The very first time they had met. And they had been headed into a warzone together. Back then, the gesture had been one that inherently lacked permanence, an expression that said ‘We can walk through this fire together’. This was different though. There was an unspoken weight behind those five fingers. It felt like something the Mystic was going to remember forever. So he chose not to mirror the past, and instead of brushing the hand aside, he clasped it tightly and pulled himself into his Paladin’s chest. It was brief contact out of necessity, and Azraeth was not entirely sure he believed that Flynn wasn’t hungry suddenly. He was sure though that he needed time ‘alone’ with his thoughts.

Alone.

For a man who relished social gatherings and the common thread of family as muchas Az did, he was surprisingly introverted by nature. Harper Rock had broken him of that, to an extent. One could not sit off to the side while hell was threatening to pour itself out into the world. He was a creature who loved those solitary moments plunged deep into the nether and darkness of the Shadow Realm. He loved the clarity of thought and being. There was a certain purity to it. There were ironically no shades of gray there, at least as far as morality went.

At some point, his definition of ‘alone’, when it applied to Az needing to think about things, had changed.

He couldn’t have pointed out when it happened, but he no longer felt this overwhelming urge to sink into the depths of that blackened landscape when he needed to consider things. Though if pressed, he probably would have said it was when he realized there were few places that were totally him. His apartments were opened to family and friends. His very nature had robbed him of those intimate places that were his. Because he worked for other people, built other people up, gave them what he had, if he had it to give.

And so when he and Flynn had started dating, when Az had desired to show his lover the places that were him he had been unable to. He couldn’t take him to the Shadow Realm. And then Flynn had played for him. Played that song. And Az had wondered ‘What secrets do I have to show this man I love?’ So their places had become his in the way the Paladin was home. So when Az thought to himself ‘I’m in need of time and space to think.’, what he really meant was ‘I need to be close to Flynn.’.

So his human guided their steps towards that place which was, without question, the most Azraeth place, if a location could be termed as such. “I don’t want you to wear a suit either.” He said, only to break away after pressing a fleeting kiss against a jaw. He reached for his phone so he could put on the playlist of songs that reminded him of his partner. Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ came on. Maybe it was a little on the nose, but Azraeth could hardly be blamed. He was still healing, after all.

When he returned, his hands slid under his partner’s shirt, pushing it up and off so he could slump against a chest a moment later, seeking that skin against skin contact. His arms both curled around a middle and his cheek came to rest against a shoulder. His lips touched a pulse. It wasn’t one distinct kiss, but what seemed like dozens of tiny ones, that were feather light. He was addicted to the sound of that heartbeat. The feel of it against his mouth.

“I want to relive a few other firsts tonight as well.” He said, though his voice was barely audible, his hands having lowered to grip the other man possessively, his movements stilled for just a second in anticipation of that kick. The increasing beat of that pump.

F L Y N N :

With his hand held out, he waited as Azraeth only seemed to stare at it. Had it come from anyone else, he might have thought it to be hesitation, but his vampire wasn’t just anyone. No opportunity for physical contact went ignored, and if there wasn’t one presenting itself, then the man made one. It came with the territory of their relationship. He couldn’t have begun to guess what was on that mind, especially when it still wasn’t entirely clear just much healing there was left to do until Az was entirely himself, again. Since, as he had just demonstrated, it was a little unclear where his moments of clarity ended and the traumatic delusions began. Whatever the case, there wasn’t a hint of impatience in his stance or expression. As if to emphasize the invitation, he wiggled his fingers, and it was only a moment later that he felt the familiar, comforting pressure of that hand in his own. Body pressed close, it was with reluctance that Flynn pulled away for the sake of moving toward their room.

Azraeth left his side as soon as they got into the room and the Paladin grunted with displeasure at the loss. Temporary was it was, his lips pursed with the slightest downturn at the corners. It wasn’t quite a pout, but it was close enough and they were an unusual addition to his expressions. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, then…” he mused, only just managing to restrain the huff that threatened to ruin their quiet moment. His gaze followed the vampire as he went about setting up the phone to play the music, both eyebrows raising up at the song that eventually filled the silence. Flynn liked to think that he had an eclectic taste in music, listening to a little bit of everything. That included the mainstream top charts that seemed to play on repeat on the radio, such as the song playing. It was one of those super romantic songs that made any single or miserably attached soul the world envy the kind of love it described. If he hadn’t already known where his vampire’s head was at thanks to the recitation of the vows, this would have told him all he needed to know. Then again, he wouldn’t have expected any less, even if he were functioning at 100%.

The shirt came up and off, the vampire leaning in against him almost as soon as it was gone. Cool skin pressed against the warmth of his own brought on a cold chill, the goosebumps rising as the shiver passed down his spine with a pleasant tingling sensation left in its wake. The Paladin could have purred at the attention, like a contented domestic feline who was getting pet in the perfect spot. Turning his head just enough to land a kiss against Azreath’s forehead. It was a quick, gentle affection while his arms curled around his partner, pulling him just a little bit closer.

A low hum emanated from deep within his chest at the drop of hands and the suggestion in those quiet words, accompanied by the kick drum pounding of his heart. For the sake of ensuring Az healed properly, with no bumps in the road, Flynn had denied him the comfort of their most intimate moments. More than once. If anything, having severe trauma had managed to make the vampire even more insatiable than he usually was and that's saying something. The lack of impulse control was to blame, of course, but it didn’t make it any easier to say ‘no.’ Fact of the matter was, he wasn’t just denying his lover of those closeness. He was also denying himself, and that was the worst part.

So, with the full knowledge that the physical wounds had finally healed to the point that the body pressed against his was just as it had been a week before, he smirked. “Oh, really?” he asked, pulling back enough so that a hand could station against his partner’s neck, taking a few steps forward so as to guide Az backwards. “What firsts would those be?” The question was posed only when a back hit the wall, a knee coming to rest between thighs. “If that’s the case...then we...should have never...left the couch.” The sentence was punctuated by a series of kisses, each one lingering a little longer than the last, tongue teasing at a lower lip.

[CONCLUDED]