A Starless Existence {boyxboy}

Chapter 5

"Kyree..." a soft voice cooed in the demon's ear, half rousing him from his broken slumber, "Ky, wake up," he knew that voice, yet couldn't quite place it. His head felt heavy, fuzzy like it was stuffed with cotton wool, still aching as much as it had been when he drifted out of consciousness God knows how long ago.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to focus when he opened them, the dim light making it very difficult to see who was leaning over him. It was a man, not much older than him, with a black eye and bust lip. His heart skipped a beat when realisation hit.

"Ambrose, you're alive," Kyree wrapped his arms tightly around Ambrose's waist, inhaling his scent as he thanked every God he had ever heard of. Ambrose chuckled, running one hand through Kyree's matted locks, rubbing Kyree's back with the other. Abruptly, Kyree pulled away, backing up as far from Ambrose as he could without falling off his bed.

"You can't be here, you can't be near me," Kyree's speech was slurred, probably from the risky mixing of alcohol and whatever else he took the night before, "I hurt you, you need to stay away from me," Kyree's gaze flickered over the cuts and bruises on Ambrose's face, knowing he did that to someone who was only trying to help him simply fueled the self-pity consuming him.

"I deserved it," Ambrose said with a shrug, perching on the edge of the bed, "I pushed you too far too early. We barely know each other and I shouldn't have assumed taking you there would help. I'm sorry," Kyree shook his head, his brows furrowed into a frown as he averted his gaze to his bloodied knuckles.

"Don't apologise, I'm clearly a danger to everyone, I can't control myself anymore. I should just kill myself, it would be safer for everyone," Kyree mumbled, rubbing his aching skull.

"Don't you dare say that. Killing yourself would break your family, and me," Kyree's eyes shot up to meet Ambrose's, "yes, I said it, your death would hurt me. There's nothing wrong with you, you just have a lot of emotions you haven't been dealing with very well. I want to help you with that," Kyree stared at Ambrose in disbelief.

"I could have killed you," Kyree admitted, "I thought I had killed you, you owe me nothing. Nothing but an execution," Ambrose scoffed, shaking his head and sliding close to Kyree on the bed, who backed tighter against the wall.

"You need help, Ky, not any more death. Let me help you," Ambrose rested his hand over Kyree's, a compassionate smile on his lips.

"Why?" Kyree uttered so softly he wasn't even sure if Ambrose heard him, "why offer help to me? I'm nothing," Ambrose sighed, absently tracing his fingertips over the back of Kyree's hand.

"Because I like you," Kyree's frown deepened so Ambrose continued, "I've been struggling with my feelings for you since our night together. I've not felt so alive like I did that night with you in a long time. I like you, Kyree Landon," Kyree's mind couldn't quite grasp that concept. Someone liking him? He knew it wouldn't work, he knew the ability to love had been burnt out of him when he lost Alexander. Yet that didn't stop him from wanting a relationship and commitment to one man more than anything else in the world.

"I-I can't, you can't. I'll hurt you. People close to me die," Kyree's voice shook as tears, once again, welled in his eyes.

"Ky, I understand Alexander's death hurt you deeply. But you can't live forever grieving someone who isn't coming back. You have to move on with your life, even if you don't share the feelings I have for you, at least let me help you get better so that someone can make you as happy again as you once were," the grey-blue iris' of Ambrose's eyes captivated so many emotions Kyree couldn't pick one out to focus on. He didn't fully understand his own feelings for Ambrose, he had lost faith in love so long ago he couldn't recall what it felt like to have feelings for someone. Whilst he mulled it over, he had to change the subject.