𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘹 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

comment along the way for motivation! I'm sorry for the shorter chapter. More comments mean faster updates.

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PAST

"STOP GETTING SICK," Y/n swallowed. "And stop getting hurt. It's like an innate talent you have, you know. Would it kill you for once just..."

No; that was a wrong choice for a word. Y/n saw how Andrei stiffened up, his once relaxed position becoming tense. Y/n gave a small sigh and continued to apply the ointment in his wound. And that touch—the feeling of Y/n's hands gently pressing against his flesh, was what made Andrei slacken again. It was unnerving to know the power Y/n had now, over him.

"My brother survived the previous attacks." Andrei murmured. "Unlike what everyone thought, he managed to pull through. And that means the radar is off me; but..."

"...But it means the chances of him being an heir are higher. Because surviving is what makes you...better in the world you live in," Y/n realized, and he gave a small sigh, lowering his head. His hair tickled Andrei's shoulder blade, and he felt how the boy reached out to him with his bandaged fingers; tangling them with his hair. It was soul-crushing, to think of Andrei's shame. The shame of being second-best, the same as being the weak one. Yet in Y/n's eyes, he was always the most brilliant.

"I'm scared you'll leave me one day," Andrei said listlessly. "I'm weak. I have nothing to offer you. I have nothing—"

"—you have offered me your company, Andrei." Y/n smiled, beaming. "And that was more than enough for me. Just...stop getting sick."

"Gives me an excuse to see you more, doesn't it?" Andrei cast a look at Y/n, cracking a small smile. "Isn't that better?"

Y/n was Andrei's friend. Andrei was Y/n's friend. It was frightening—the idea of being so close to someone scared him, yet Y/n was selfish enough to hang onto that proximity he shared with someone with such desperation, with such hunger—Andrei made Y/n feel like they belonged to each other. And that scared him. That terrified Y/n more than he would have liked to admit.

He wanted that place in Andrei's heart. To be number one. But he wasn't...

"You'll..." Y/n closed his eyes. "No, forget it. You know what? If you keep—"

"—what, you aren't going to come again?" Andrei murmured. "You'll come back. You always do. I can say anything, and..."

"...And I'll never abandon you."

It was true. Andrei could have unwrapped the worst things he had done, and Y/n would not flinch. Andrei could have held those bare feelings up to the light and Y/n would not have flinched. Andrei could have come to him: he could have slumped in his arms and could have complained about the burning fever he a plagued with, he could have stayed quiet, and still Y/n would have stayed.