uncontrollably. His back was aching, his soul was on fire, and he was certain he was going to throw
up.
He didn’t know how long it was before he felt Frankie’s strong arms lifting him up, his voice in
Snod’s ear, comforting and warm, whispering, “Obe, hey, Obe! Tell me. Talk to me. What happened?
You were so afraid, what’s wrong?”
Snod could only weep at first as Frankie carried him to bed, petting his hair and kissing his tears. He
felt something sticky rubbing around on his back, the fading pain identifying the substance as
Frankie’s own blood.
“Tell me what happened,” Frankie urged lovingly. “If you can’t tell me... open your mind, show me.”
Snod shook his head weakly, not sure how to show Frankie what happened. He tried to think it all
back over, tried to recall Sanguis’ hateful words and how weak he had been. The memories were too
fresh, too painful, as he covered his face with his hands.
Frankie held him close, cradling him in his lap as if he were a child. He kept his side of the bond
flooded with love, his voice gentle as he said, “I’m so proud of you, Obe. You stood up for yourself.
You were so brave.”
Laughing bitterly, Snod scoffed, “Brave?”
“You’re finally free,” Frankie said lovingly. “You denied him! You had the courage to refuse that
creep and totally told him to suck your dick! Do you have any idea how amazing that is?”
Snod blinked, gazing up at him with a crooked smile, replying softly, “You. You made me brave. Your
love...”
Frankie gently laid Snod down against the pillows and stretched out beside him, bringing him in for a
gentle kiss. He curled their hands together, smiling brightly as he said, “Our love, Obe. It’s ours... and
I’m so very, very proud of you.”
Snod found himself smiling, murmuring, “It did feel pretty good to tell him off... I feel... I feel lighter.”
“I bet,” Frankie chuckled, kissing his forehead. “Hell of a way to spend your first birthday.”
Snod actually laughed out loud at that, his smile brightening as he pleaded, “Can we just skip the rest
of my birthday?”
“No,” Frankie teased. “Afraid not. Your not-so-surprise party is in a few hours, and I’m pretty sure
your brother will murder us both if we miss it.”
Snod snorted, taking a deep breath as he tried to collect his thoughts. He looked over Frankie’s
