The Man With The Gloves (mxmxmxm)

32. The right question

"I am not an angel," I asserted; "and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself."
(Charlotte Brontë)

As soon as Ashur stepped inside the room, with his precious cargo secured in his arms, Fayez knew that Akhenaton was here.

He didn't see him, though. Yet, he was positive that the brunet was present. The reason?

Well, simple. The second Ashur and himself had entered the room, the door had been instantly locked.

Had Fayez had any intent to escape, he couldn't have done so, for the door was magically closed and wouldn't open until the stubborn sorcerer decided to do so.

Fuck. Guess Ash was right. These two are going to watch my every move until they're sure I don't plan to leave them ever again.

The realization didn't annoy him. He just wasn't used to having people care so much about him. Back at his castle, he could spend an entire day without interracting with anyone. Sometimes he even wondered if his parents hadn't forgotten about him entirely.

He didn't blame them, though. They couldn't help it, and while he knew they were still trying their best with him, loving someone isn't something you can force yourself to do.

He was hard to love, yet his three mates made it seem so easy. They made it seem like loving him was only natural.

Eventually, Ashur put him down on their huge bed, so carefully one would have thought Fayez was a fragile infant.

The second he was put down on the bed, the young vampire turned around to face his other mate, who was currently laying on the heavy blanket.

He swallowed, his throat suddently feeling very dry, as his eyes met with bright blue ones.

Not so long ago, these eyes, although undeniably beautiful, had looked liveless and sad. Now, although there was still some sorrow and anxiety in them, there weren't those horrible dark circles under them.

Zephyr looked a thousand times better than the last time he had seen him. He looked healthier, and possibly stronger. It made Fayez's metaphorical heart beat wildly in his chest.

He cleared his throat, without realizing that the vampire was doing the same thing.

"I want-" he started.

"It's completely-" Zephyr began.

"I'M SO SORRY" they both exclaimed at the exact same time.

They fell into each others' arms, and Ashur couldn't tell if the two men were laughing or crying. He didn't say anything, as he simply watched them, with an unmistakable fondness in his warm brown eyes.

"What are you sorry for?" Fayez eventually asked, after they had both calmed down a bit. "I'm the one who lied to you, invited you on a fake date, acted behind Ash and Ake's backs..."

Zephyr shook his head at these words and hugged him even harder.

"You saved my life, you stupid squirrel." he sniffed. "I am the one who should be apologizing to you. You almost died because of me. If only I had been stronger-"