“That blood he gave me, will that…I don’t know.Will I feel him die?”Theo’s eyes went wide.“He can’t mind-control me, can he?”
“His blood will do nothing.It will have been wearing off already since the day you ran from him.I honestly think he got lucky last night.I won’t give him a chance to compel you ever again.”
Theo nodded.He looked into the middle distance, his thoughts going where Peter couldn’t follow.
“Theodore?”
Theo turned.Hope made them brighter, and Peter loved that.“Hmm?”
“You’re not tainted.You never were.”
Theo looked at his empty yogurt bowl and scraped around the sides of it with his spoon.
“You don’t know all the things… You don’t know.When I woke up that day and decided to hightail it… I was so drowsy with blood loss a lot of the time that I might’ve missed what was happening around me.To me.”Theo hit the spoon against the bottom of the bowl before dropping it and letting it clatter against the glass.“You have a right to know.”
Peter could see the waterworks threatening to start again, and if Lady Justice truly existed to bring fairness and a sword into the world, Peter wouldn’t be subjected to comforting Theo again.
If Justice had her way, he’d never have cried in the first place.
“Stop this,” Peter said.
He scooted closer to Theo, close enough that their knees would touch if Theo moved his.
“Peter…”
“You owe me nothing.I have no right to demand you tell me anything.In fact, no one has that right, and don’t you forget that.”Peter watched a salty tear splash into the yogurt bowl.Oh dear.“That being said, I can be a very good listener.”
That was stretching the truth, really.Peter’s reasoning for completely dismissing psychology as a career choice even after that chain smoking Austrian made it so popular was that he despised having people dump their woes at his feet when there were usually such obvious solutions to fixing things, but Peter would bend and break his own principles for Theodore.He would listen.Through snot and tears.For hours.Thor have mercy on me.
“I…” Theo began before his voice broke and he shook his head and fell silent again.
“If you prefer seeing a therapist, I’ll find you someone who can handle the supernatural aspects.Whatever you need, whenever you’re ready for it.”
Idly, Peter wondered whether he should find a therapist too, just to help him manage all the waterworks he was going to have to help Theo through.
“I don’t think I deserve you.”Theo spoke too quietly for anyone but a vampire to hear.
“It’s true, earning my fortune cookie wisdom is a singular achievement, but I think you did all right.”
Theo completely ignored that, but at least he looked up from that empty yogurt bowl.
“Will you take me upstairs?Fuck me hard until I forget everything for a little while?”
Peter happened to think that was an excellent idea, not least because it would hopefully end with Theo being able to nap before their exploits in the park.
“Since you ask so sweetly, my precious one.”
Peter got to his feet and held out a hand for Theo to take, and they wove their fingers together as they walked back up the stairs.The desire for violence that had plagued Peter all through the night ebbed.If this was truly love, then Peter understood why stronger men and women than himself feared it.
But I have been taken by this adversary, and so I must submit and accept defeat.This is the way.
22
Theo
Theohadbecomeapassenger in his own life, or so it had seemed over the past few days, but right now, he wanted to be back in charge, with no one telling him to stop, asking anything of him, or expecting him to be any certain way.
Once they got to Peter’s room, Theo spun on his heel, grabbed Peter by his lapel, and pulled him in for a kiss.Peter let him, but even so, those ice-bright eyes widened when Theo plunged his tongue into Peter’s mouth and scraped along the lines of Peter’s lips with his teeth.Theo had never known how good surprising someone like this felt, but he was down for surprising Peter all the way, so he pulled back out of the kiss.
