#tr: zane r | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chrisgates · 11 months

Text

... I Know What You Are ...

TIMING: Just after the events of Take Me To Your River LOCATION: Dance Macabre, Mossthorn Forest PARTIES: @chrisgates and @rn-zane SUMMARY: Chris can't sleep and goes out for a walk somewhere he shouldn't. He finds Zane in distress and the two learn - and deal - with some heavy truths. WARNINGS: N/A

Nightmares for Chris were plentiful. Either they plagued him or he stared at the ceiling, hoping and praying for sleep. Even the nightmares. Instead of either, he decided to wander around the town and get some fresh air. That might do him some good. So wander he did — his walk of peace seeking led him out of the Pines and into Nightfall Grove, an area he’d never been to nor seemed to pay too much mind to as he steadily crept by.

Lost in his own sleep-deprived thoughts, Chris rounded a corner and made it maybe a few steps into what turned out to be an alley too creepy for its own good. He didn’t realize where he was exactly until he heard the sound in front of him. Some ways down, there stood a figure. Now, he couldn’t exactly make out who or what it was, but he decided that now was not the time to engage. It was way too late, he was tired, and they could be a drunk that stumbled out of the nearby club. He was pretty sure the club was around here, anyway.

Still, Chris decided it was time to just turn around as quietly as possible and head back the way he came. Unfortunately for him, quiet just wasn’t going to happen. It was comical, really, the way he’d stepped backwards and stepped on a piece of plastic. It crinkled beneath his boot heel and practically echoed off the alley walls. Chris scrunched his face up. Fuck.

Zane should have left by now. Every fiber of his being had been screaming at him to get out of here but walking felt impossible. The club had exceeded its own reputation with the complete disregard every smoker that entered the alley showed. No one really seemed to mind the vampire glued into the corner, still bloody and not meeting anyone’s eyes. Maybe they just assumed he was on a post feeding high. He should have been, probably would have if not for the soul crushing guilt threatening to swallow him whole.

They alley was blissfully empty as his legs seemed to regain the function of movement again, slow and shaky but it was something. At least, Zane had assumed the alley was empty, the sudden noise making him jump, every alarm bell going off in his head as it whipped around towards the noise. It wasn’t dark enough to shadow the face staring back at him which meant his own face, still red eyed, fanged and crusted with blood, probably wasn’t invisible either. To top it all off, the face staring back was familiar.

His brain was still slow, too slow to properly try to diffuse this situation or do… anything, really. Turn away, retreat back into the club, come up with some lame excuse. Anything. Pure panic was all that made its way into his throat, even as the deranged hilarity of the situation dawned on him. A strange mirror of the night he’d found Chris in the woods, covered in someone or something’s blood. At least Zane was clothed, a strange refuge to find in all of this but it was all his frazzled brain could come up with. “I…” Burning eyes never left the other man’s, part of him hoping that he would just run off already. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Chris’ realization came like dominos falling. It took but a breath to comprehend that this was a person, and in the next it was Zane, the man who’d helped him in the woods some time before. But it didn’t end there — he caught sight of the blood around his mouth, the vivid abnormalness of his eyes. He blinked, thinking that maybe he was just seeing things. No, definitely not. Their eyes were red, brighter than that of the blood that smeared around his mouth. Chris felt his skin crawl; the closeness of the alley, suffocating almost, didn’t help.

You shouldn’t be here.

He was instantly transported back to that night, when he was the one who refused the company of someone else thinking that was the safer option. For them both. This very well could be a similar situation — the blood was a good indicator. Chris did take a step back, but he didn’t leave. Not yet. Instinct told him he needed to heed those words, but he knew that Zane wouldn’t have left him. He hadn’t. He remained stubborn and compromised his own safety even after Chris told him to just leave him there.

“What’s going on..?” He asked hesitantly, though he was concerned. He didn’t move. “Are you okay?”

Zane watched the other recoil back a step, feeling his stomach drop even though Chris was doing exactly what the vampire had pretty much instructed. The look in the man’s eyes was something Zane had never experienced directed at him and it was nauseating. Even though he’d seen general fear and distrust in this exact pair of eyes before, this was so much more potent and direct. But Chris didn’t leave.

The soft question, so unbelievably unexpected that it came like a slap to the face, was all it took to fill the meter for Zane’s complete breakdown. His legs, having previously just gained the strength to take a step, crumpled under him. It felt pathetic but there was no will or thought left, just complete defeat as the pale face of the man he’d almost killed flashed across his eyes. Stomach rolling over, threatening to empty out in what would most likely be a disturbing display of blood, he gasped for a breath he didn’t even need.

“I almost killed him,” he said numbly, feeling his fangs retract, wanting his whole body to retract and disappear as well. It wasn’t even meant for Chris to hear, really - Zane just needed to say it out loud. Feel the weight of it hit him, remember the utter lack of control. Eyes, now fading back to their normal color, squeezed shut. He wanted the other man to leave, needed him to almost, because he could barely stand to be with himself at the moment, much less another person. Especially not a person that he’d recently attempted to help which, wow, the idea of anyone coming to him for help now…

A great manner of odd and, frankly, spooky things had a habit of cropping up in the cozy city of Wicked’s Rest. Sure, he’d experienced the constant battle of days missing or fighting the authorities, but nothing like what this place had to offer. Zane’s color changing eyes definitely made the list. Chris could try to chalk it up to the club’s signage or the streetlight, but nothing felt right. None of it made sense.

That wasn’t important, though. Not now. Not when Zane looked like he really needed some help; he’d be a fool to leave him. Steeling himself, Chris took a few tentative steps forward. The blood meant something bad, so even though there was a streak of kindness in Zane, Chris didn’t know what he was capable of. That meant he’d keep his distance unless otherwise invited. Zane looked like he didn’t want him anywhere near him to begin with.

Chris decided to crouch down to make himself as innocuous as possible. There was still some distance between them. What was he supposed to say? What could possibly make this any better? He tried to clear his throat but to no avail. “You’re..hm,” his voice cracked. “You’re going to be okay… whatever happened is.. It’s over.” The event might be over, but that haunted, far away look was too familiar to Chris. He felt it deeply.

Zane felt ridiculous. Probably would have succumbed to total embarrassment if there had been room for any other feeling in his chest right now, kneeling on the ground of this alley, eyes closed as if that would fix the problem. See no evil didn’t exactly apply when the evil was apparently crouching within. But Chris didn’t leave. His tentative steps closer were vaguely registered but the unsteady voice managed to break through Zane’s muddled thoughts. He dared to open his eyes.

The fear of the unknown was still very much visible in Chris’s eyes but it didn’t manage to hide the worry that also glimmered there. Zane realized how stupid he’d been before, thinking that anything he had to say would have made Chris feel better that night in the woods as the other man tried to offer his own words of comfort. Strangely though, the presence did manage to offer some respite, however subtle. It wasn’t like anyone from his clan had gone to check on him or maybe they hadn’t even noticed his absence at all. “I… we, feed on… on blood.”

He didn’t know where the incessant need to tell Chris was coming from. Maybe Zane just needed to tell someone or maybe he hoped it would repel the other man and prove to the gnawing voice in his own head just how monstrous this all was. “He offered and I didn’t - couldn’t stop.” His eyes left the other’s then, hands balled into fists, the reminiscing reminding him of the taste still lingering in his mouth. “I almost…” he trailed off then, the words unable to make it up his throat for the second time. Killed him.

Chris frowned in confusion. His mind went to the first thing that made the least sense — vampires weren’t real. Sure there were people who liked to pretend to be vampires. They liked to drink animal blood and wore fake teeth, but actual vampires? Like Dracula and Nosferatu? They didn’t exist. There was no way. Maybe Zane was one of those people, maybe that’s what he meant. But that still didn’t explain the change in eye color. Colored contacts were one thing, but he didn’t know of any transition lenses, just the sunglasses type.

Chris felt bad for Zane. He felt a strong sense of familiarity in the sad and almost pitiful nature of the other man. He saw himself. It distressed him, to say the least, but he was determined to help Zane any way he could, even if it was at a distance. “Almost.. It was almost,” Chris parroted back; he hoped the word stuck. “But.. you didn’t. You didn’t, right?” Maybe this was a waste of time. He knew for a fact that none of this helped him, and while not everyone was exactly like him, Zane seemed like someone who had an idea of what it might be like.

“You did-’ his voice cut off when he’d heard the doorknob at the club’s side door turn. It opened, much to Chris’ dismay, and a head appeared on the other side. Another young man, handsome, but with a mean glint in his eye, was responsible for the interruption. “Zane, what the fuck- oh,” came the velvet voice and cheshire smile that sent a shiver down Chris’ spine. “What do we have here?” His voice absolutely dripped with curiosity as he slunk into the alley. The intruder snapped and a couple more bodies followed suit.

They sniffed once. Then twice, this time with more gusto. They let out a bark of a laugh and looked between Zane and Chris. There was a look in their eyes, a look that felt familiar. Chris knew what it was — it was hunger. “Did you get this just for us?” They sniffed again and laughed. “It’s been, oh.. Much too long since I’ve had a werewolf,” he licked his bottom lip through his grin.

The surprises kept coming, providing enough of a shock to keep Zane from teetering over the edge. Of all the responses he could have imagined someone giving to the confession, being comforted wasn’t one of them. No one normal could have taken the situation with this eerie sense of calm. Not unless they knew. Flashes from the night in the woods passed, Chris bloody and scared and confused, admitting that people would only get hurt if he tried to ask them for help. The puzzle pieces were there, scrambling to be put together and he found himself wanting to leave here with Chris. Wanting to know more, possibly tell him more, an unspoken understanding between the two.

At the sound of the door opening, Zane was on his feet faster than he’d thought possible given how limp his legs had felt just seconds ago. Hearing his name spoken, his head snapped towards the owner, unwittingly taking a step back. Closer to Chris, almost shielding him from the other vampire’s view. More followed and Zane found himself tensing - the general feel of the group felt off in a way he hadn’t experienced to this degree before. It had been diluted inside the club, this complete disregard for being seen as human but out here, it made the air thick with tension.

“He was just leaving,” was the only response that came to mind, meekly delivered, but the question that followed made his stomach churn. For us. Chris wasn’t for anyone. Not in the way the owners of the gleaming eyes were thinking or any other way. Aside from the fact that it seemed highly unlikely that Chris wanted to get bitten in some alley, Zane found himself repulsed by the idea of these vampires being the ones to do it. They were his clan, sure, but something in the way they were looking at his friend (or at least something akin to friend) made his skin crawl. Not like he was a person at all.

And then the second blow came. Werewolf. Another puzzle piece to join the ones already scrambling around in his brain, making it hard to focus. Could it be? It did fit nicely with the other ones, the mystery of that night in the woods, but there was no time for slowly juggling together pieces now. There was a chuckle from the group, no one seeming to find anything at all odd about this situation. “Looks like the freshman beat us to it, though.” Zane glared at the one who had delivered the snide comment, anger boiling up in a way it hadn’t in a while. Almost like a symbiotic being, the small group of vampires loomed closer. Instinctually, Zane backtracked closer to Chris, making sure to keep himself firmly planted between them.

“Aw, come on. You’re not going to share?” The first vampire, Razul, spoke again, the mildly patronizing tone Zane had gotten used to from him now dripping from every word. It was easy to brush off under other circumstances, kinda like getting through a hazing period portrayed in every college movie ever, but here it made Zane’s blood boil.

“There’s nothing to share. He’s leaving. And so am I.” The venom in his words almost took him by surprise, authority spawning from a place Zane hadn’t even known he possessed. That feeling of protection he’d felt in the woods was increased tenfold, no longer up against some invisible foe that only Chris knew. A voice whispered in his head, confirming the feeling that he’d fight them to get Chris out, if he had to.

It was Chris’ turn to feel his knees buckle and weaken. The sudden group added to the pair already there was enough to raise his anxiety, but their words sent his head reeling. They all were predatory, hungry, and looked intently at him. It was one thing to feel hunted for sport or vengeance, it was another to feel like actual prey. Even though he was confused, he felt sick to his stomach and absolutely terrified. But something inside him wanted to stay, it wanted to stay and rip those smirks off of their faces.

He had stood moments after Zane and wished he kept to his crouching position. The burst of adrenaline that ran through his body started to cause his hands to shake. Did he hear that right — werewolf? Who, him? Vampires, now werewolves... Horror movie monsters. None of it was real. None of it could be real. There had to be explanations for all of it. Multiple personalities, maybe a sleeping disorder or two, iron deficiency? There had to be something. Something other than the supernatural had to plague him.

Regardless of the explanation, they needed to leave. The situation was tense and obviously dangerous; Chris wanted to put as much distance between him and these assholes as possible. It was noble — stupid, but noble — of Zane to put himself between them. He knew these men. It did surprise him to see that and it made him wonder if Zane was as bad as them and merely faking it — or he got roped in with them somehow. Either way, Chris had a lot of questions.

Unfortunately, his curiosities had to wait. Chris’ head wouldn’t stop spinning, so he used the wall beside him to try to steady himself. He felt that familiar rush of blood to his head and the tunnel vision that came; the ringing in his ear only grew worse. It felt like he would pass out, but he couldn’t do that to Zane — not now.

By this point, Chris had his back to the wall with both palms pressed to the weathered brick. He had started to edge away slowly towards one end of the alley, hoping to put more distance between them without making it obvious. Everything in him told him to run, to get out while he still could, and he would do anything to achieve that. He would leave Zane, if he had to. Zane was a stranger, but still immeasurably kind, and Chris wouldn’t want anything to happen to him if things turned sour.

What would happen, though? More often than not, Chris was the survivor — he was the one to wake up in a pool of blood, the one to come out with bruises and broken bones, but with their life wholly intact. Was he truly the monster? Would he be able to hold his own against these aggressors? Chris’ fingertips curled and dug into the texture of the bricks. He didn’t want to find out.

“Zane..” Desperation coated the name.

Chris supposed he was lucky he hadn’t gone too far into the mouth between the two buildings, but if he couldn’t run, his advantage would be moot. If Zane wanted to go, as well, they needed to leave now.

He’d gotten too distracted in keeping an eye on the other vampires, waiting and expecting any sudden movements. It wasn’t until one of them cocked their head, looking at something behind Zane, that he realized Chris was moving. Not very fast and not seeming very steady on his feet. The vampire didn’t know just what was causing the crippling tension in the other but a nagging feeling told him he didn’t want to find out. Hearing his name, Zane moved to turn, to get the other out of here, a heavy hand landing on his shoulder instead. “Where you going, freshman?”

It wasn’t thought out, the instinct to shove the hand off, and even less so was the shove that followed, straight into Razul’s chest. Zane didn’t want to stick around to find out how the other would take that disrespect. Moving quickly towards Chris, the train of not thinking things very well through continued as he wrapped his arm around the other’s waist to steady the shaky feet, hoping it wouldn’t get him punched in the face but not really caring.

The two of them moved fast, disappearing out of the alley and a few blocks down until Zane was sure there was no one on their heels. He slowed the two of them to a stop, immediately backing off to give Chris space, trying to find words that would mend this situation. Nothing came to mind. “I’m sorry. They’re… I’m…” He took a moment to recuperate, some of the strings from before finally starting to connect now that he wasn’t staring down a group of vampires he thought he could trust. Werewolf. That night in the woods. Chris’s fear. His panic in the alley. Had he known? Was this… the first time this thought had crossed the other’s mind?

“I won’t tell anyone,” was all Zane managed to say, wanting so bad to know what Chris was thinking and suppressing every urge to ask. If the other man wanted to sprint away, Zane would have to let him.

The only thing Chris could really make out was the blood rushing to his head and the pounding of his heart in his ears. He couldn’t keep track of the conversation anymore, or what little there was. He didn’t know if he would have to fight his way out (if he could stay conscious long enough) or if this was it — the way he was looked at, no, stared at, made him feel so incredibly small. If Zane hadn’t been there, he didn’t know if he would just simply perish. The idea made him feel sick to his stomach.

His stomach lurched even more when Zane grabbed and rushed him off. He felt completely jostled by that point, like a child shook up their soda bottle and the pressure built underneath. Chris felt like he was going to explode — and then they suddenly stopped. The only sound that filtered up through the night air were crickets. He could feel his breath come in heavy; his feet were on solid ground and there wasn’t a gaggle of aggressors but he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Chris stole himself against a wall — he could feel brick beneath his fingertips, but he had no idea where they were now. He was just grateful to be out of that alley; the walls felt like they had started to close in. He squeezed his eyes shut and bent down at the waist with head bowed; the hand that pressed firmly to the wall behind him tensed. The pain came in quick, rolling waves. It wanted to come free, it wanted to lose itself so badly. He could feel it claw against the inside of his skull, its daggers sharp and slashing.

He could hear Zane’s voice — it sounded far away, smaller. As if he were speaking to him from a far off underground tunnel. A thick knot had Chris doubling over and both hands flew up to cradle his head. His breath came in quick, shallow pants.

I won’t tell anyone.

Chris shook his head furiously. Already the poison of denial tried to creep its way back in. With every thought of doubt came a flash of pain. He held out an open palm to Zane, as if to put a stop to whatever else wanted to come out. “I’m… fine..” he forced out, but he most certainly was not fine. He shook like a leaf. “Just…. gimme.. A sec…”

This wasn’t good. Zane’s current knowledge of werewolves - provided that the other vampires hadn’t just been messing around - consisted of movie and TV show trivia. If it was anything like with vampires, some of it rang true while other stuff was complete bullshit. Either way, Chris was in trouble and whether or not that trouble meant him turning into a giant werewolf or not, Zane couldn’t just stand here like an idiot while it was happening. The gritted out words had the opposite effect of convincing the vampire that Chris was fine and despite the outstretched hand, he dared to take a step closer. Not touching him but providing a presence.

After a moment of more heavy breathing, Zane crouched down instead of looming over the other man, worried hands twisting with one another. With the innate longing to provide a comforting touch. “You’re going to pass out if you keep breathing like that,” he finally said, matter of factly despite the panic he felt, tone mirroring the ones he used in the ER when patients were having a panic attack. Which was definitely what it looked like Chris was going through.

“Focus on what you can hear right now. Things you can smell. Feel your hair under your fingers. And breathe. Just breathe.” Zane had no idea if this was making things worse or not but if the choices were this or stand there, do nothing and hope for the best… “You’re okay. Just breathe.”

Chris didn’t want to listen to Zane. He didn’t want to try to calm down - he didn’t want any of this. He didn’t want anything to make sense, he didn’t! He didn’t want some stupid horror movie monster to be real and he didn’t want it to happen to him. He didn’t want to be that monster - because then it’d be true. All of it would be true. Everyone he’d been accused of killing or maiming or scaring - his sister, for god’s sake!

No, no he wasn’t fine. He wasn’t fine at all.

Chris felt himself sink down to the ground. He needed to get up. What if those assholes were just around the corner? He couldn’t very well have a panic attack now. But he didn’t get up. Instead his panic only grew despite Zane’s effort to calm him down. It was commendable, but he wasn’t the first person to try to help Chris out - and they all ended badly, as far as he could remember. Zane managed to get by without incident the first time, but this time? This was worse. He didn’t want to hurt Zane.

“I’m..” He struggled to breathe now. “I’m not-.. Okay,” he choked out. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he ignored the burn they caused as he tried to hide his face. His right arm ached - that was a really bad sign. He could feel his fingers stiffen and twitch and the veins beneath his skin seemed to writhe with new life. It was too late.

“Go… Please.”

Yup, obviously the one thing Zane sort of knew how to do wouldn’t work because that would have been way too easy. Everything was spiraling further and it was becoming a full time job to shoot curious onlookers warning glares to move on. He just prayed that no one would get worried enough to call the police. They needed to get out of here, way too exposed on the street and with way too many people around if what Zane thought was happening was about to happen. But where would they even go? He couldn’t bring Chris back to the house that would at the very least have three or four vampires, probably more, and the other man wasn’t exactly in a state to give directions to his home.

Chris was managing to make himself surprisingly small, his words barely audible from behind the hands covering his face. This was bad. Why hadn’t Zane told him to leave the second he’d walked into that back alley? There was no more pretense that this situation wasn’t already shit and honestly, probably nothing Zane could do to set it right. All he did know was that he would not run away after dragging this poor guy into a raging shitstorm, accidental or not, and leave him here. Not to mention all the people around. If and when this went to shit, he was part of it.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” he breathed, scooting closer and wishing that Chris would just take in a single, deep breath. Zane was definitely panicking but thankfully, his voice didn’t betray him and reveal that fact as he spoke. “I dragged you into this. Whatever happens, I’m fairly hard to kill.” Definitely false bravado as he had no idea how in the world he would fare against an honest to god werewolf. If nothing else, maybe he would be a distraction to give everyone else on the street a head start. Shit.

This was in no way shape or form Zane’s fault, but Chris was in no shape to argue. He became painfully aware of the passerby that let their stare linger a little too long, some worried and others disgusted. His wonder of their thoughts helped to ease some of the panic that steadily grew, but only for a short while. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he knew something bad would happen - something always did. It followed him like a bad stench, like a plague intent on killing everything in Chris’ path.

There weren’t a lot of places Chris could think of that would be good to decompress in - everywhere felt too public, too open to prying eyes. It only proved to make him feel even more helpless, but he needed to push past that. He needed to get out of there - and he supposed Zane was going with him. Chris didn’t like the term, ‘hard to kill’. That may have been so, but he didn’t want to hurt the guy to begin with. He didn’t want that to be either of their realities, which meant he needed to come up with a good place to retreat -

“Help me up..” he instructed; Chris had a firm grip on his right forearm. The squeezing seemed to help, but feeling his veins and muscles move beneath his skin left him queasy. “Please..” he added and gestured towards the visible treeline with a nod once he was back on his feet; it was within sight, but they’d still have a walk ahead of them. It would feel like torture. “I think.. I think the woods are my only option here..” He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to believe in any of that shit, but if he passed out or did whatever it was that he did, someone was going to end up dead.

He could never remember himself actually doing any killing, only flashes of what he thought could be from a movie or a game, which a lot of cops said was awfully convenient despite his prints or DNA at the scene, all of which Chris vehemently denied. Those guys that just threw around that word like they’d known him all along, like they knew all the bad shit he’d done, cracked his veil of dismissal. It was the safest place, but there weren’t a lot of people in the woods, if any at all at this time of day. It was the safest option for everyone else - he just worried about Zane.

“I don’t know where else to go..”

It was a relief like he’d rarely felt before when something in Chris shifted and not in a catastrophically awful way. Zane honestly could have cried at the request because it seemed they had a chance at something other than ‘let shit go down and deal with the consequences later’. There was no hesitation in touching the other man now, with permission granted, and he moved quickly to wrap his arm around Chris’s waist and hoist him up as carefully as he could. The offered plan wasn’t exactly a five star one but it was a plan all the same. “Alright. Alright, we’ll get you there,” Zane breathed, gripping the other tighter even as he felt muscles shifting under his palms in a way that wasn’t normal. With one last look into the panicked gaze staring back at him, mustering every bit of false confidence that this was going to be alright, they walked.

Taking as much weight off Chris as they slowly made their way to the destination was the easy part. Seeing and practically feeling how much pain the other was in with every move, every breath, was horrible. Zane wasn’t really aware when it had started but at some point, a steady stream of encouragement and affirmations had started to pour from his mouth, breathed out softly with every step and every pause. We’re close. Come on, you’ve got this. Just a little further. You’re almost there. Whether it was more for his own benefit or Chris’s, he wasn’t really sure.

Feeling that first crunch of leaves under their feet was a blessing and the moment the two of them had a tree or two as cover from the bustle right outside the woods, Zane stopped and gently helped Chris down to the ground. “I’ll stay out of the way. Promise.” Even though he wasn’t really sure why, Zane could tell that the other man cared whether or not he got hurt. Probably didn’t want anyone to get hurt. As it wasn’t a promise he was sure he could make, the vampire refrained from stating that he would find Chris afterwards. There was no telling where he might end up or in what state. At the very least, Zane knew he would be roaming the woods for a little while this evening, making sure that if things ended up like the last time the two of them had met, at least it would be Zane stumbling unto him and not some other stranger.

Placing a hand on Chris’s shoulder, trying and failing to find a single word of comfort, he settled for giving it a gentle squeeze instead. And then made good on his promise, backtracking the way they’d just walked, ears perked as he walked. Hoping this situation had at least been somewhat salvaged.

Chris learned early on not to trust people, even the ones in uniform. It didn’t matter what kind of oath they took or how well meaning their intentions were, they all turned him in in some way. They all ranged from overtly kind to absolutely fearful and confused, but every instance ended the same — with questions, metal bars and then a new home address. Before the distrust, he’d seek out an emergency room, and he could get by with claiming an animal attack, which he did fully believe, but once the pieces started to come to light and he couldn’t explain certain things, the safety net dissipated. It was worse with the police.

He’d thought Zane would be the same when he’d found him the first time, and even still after they’d parted ways. Chris waited impatiently for the other shoe to drop, wondering if he was going to be ratted out or hunted.

Whether it was a good thing or not, some other shoe dropped instead and it started to make sense as to why Chris had been shown such mercy, such care and compassion without making it feel like an interrogation. Others had tried to help, but it was always wrong — the wrong timing, the wrong words, the wrong touch. They’d tainted his perception and made him fearful of even helpful people. He felt absolutely spoiled under Zane’s care, and he reveled in it quietly, but he wondered for how long it would last.

He ignored the initial panic when Zane helped him up, but that eased quickly. This was just like the last time, everything was going to be fine. Chris was glad he didn’t really have to focus on moving, instead he used what little attention he had left to stave off whatever threatened to come out. Werewolf. The thought of that only made him feel worse. But it made them feel alive. Every time that word found itself among his musings, flitting quickly, his stomach flipped.

And every time one of Zane’s comforts found the warming air, everything settled, like waves crashing into a beach. It was a tumultuous back and forth, but he was moved quickly and without question. Soon enough, the woods welcomed them in and the street atmosphere dissipated. A tightness continued to encapsulate Chris as he was eased down; it was going to happen again and he couldn’t stop it.

‘I’ll stay out of the way. Promise.’ He believed him, but would it be enough? The hand that found its way to Chris’ shoulder was met with his own after its’ reassuring squeeze. The whole walk was silent on his own end, only keeping to his breathing and the underlying pain that wracked him. “Thank you.. Again..” was all he could manage before Zane withdrew and left him with the wolf.

#tr: zane r #tr: [ i know what you are ]

7 notes · View notes