32. To Keep Contentment Safe
Harlow eyed Foxx from the hotel bed as the vampire adjusted his puffy hat.
“I’ll be back!” Foxx chimed. The man paused on reaching the door, looked back with a grin and added, “Don’t move.” He then burst into a fit of giggles and rushed out.
Harlow rolled his eyes. “Fucking brat.”
Sighing, he stared at the door for a moment before slowly reaching over and snagging his phone off the nightstand, trying to ignore the shock of pain that accompanied each and every movement. It wasn’t as bad as it had been last night, but it still fucking sucked.
Moving his arm flat by his side, he glanced down awkwardly and flipped it open. Typing with one hand, he pulled up Wes’ number and pressed call, before hitting the speaker button.
Harlow glared at the speckled ceiling as he waited.
“Harlow? Is something wrong?” Wes said in lieu of a greeting. Then again, he hadn’t called before this. He usually just scheduled his appointment with Wes before he left. The whole, off the record thing, meant he didn’t have to talk to the man’s secretary much at all…which worked for him.
“I”m going to have to reschedule my appointment, because I fucked up my back.”
Probably as much as he had fucked up his head. What an accomplishment to have his mind and body matching.
“Ah…sorry to hear that. Well, let’s see what we can find. Do you know how long it will be until you are better?”
“Doctor said it will likely be a few weeks.”
Well, the man in the ER had said a few weeks to a month, but he was hoping it was closer to the few. He wasn’t sure he could deal with Foxx’s care for a whole fucking month without going…more insane.
“Why don’t we schedule three weeks out and go from there? We can always move it up sooner.”
“Whatever,” Harlow grunted, before snapping at him. “Wait! Make it two weeks. No—” He cursed. “Three is fine.”
What was he even doing? Like seeing the fucker sooner would resolve anything. Though…he wasn’t sure he’d get away with killing Iggy, so maybe he should…
Fucking hell, what was wrong with him?!
“Did something happen?”
Harlow cursed again. “Something…did…maybe…”
“Well, I’m free for the next ten minutes. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on and we can decide if maybe a virtual session sooner would be better than waiting, hmm?”
A…virtual session. So, he’d have to use his laptop… The new one Foxx got him…worked great, and was so much faster than his old one. But, at the same time, nothing was where it should fucking be. And he swore the font kept getting fucking smaller every time he used it—though he was ninety-nine percent sure that was just Foxx screwing with him.
He…supposed he could do a video call… Wait…no he couldn’t, because there was no way in hell Harlow could ever get Foxx to leave him alone at a specific time for a full hour. Randomly? Sure, as Foxx would go off and do his crafting thing, but scheduled? Hell no. And with him being injured, the vampire likely would be hovering like crazy.
“You know what, nevermind. Three weeks is fine.”
“Are…you sure?” Wes asked hesitantly.
“I’m sure.”
* * *
“I’m back,”Foxx sang as he walked in and bumped the door closed with his hip.
Harlow was laying on the bed on his back, in the same position as when he’d left him. Then again, he couldn’t move, so how else would he find him? The whole reason they decided to stay another night after leaving the hospital that morning was because Harlow had found sitting too painful, even in the short term. A six-hour drive had been out of the question. Foxx was hoping tomorrow they’d be able to head back.
The human eyed the bags he was carrying with a grimace. “Really…KFC? So back pain wasn’t enough, I need indigestion too?”
Foxx snorted. “Don’t worry, I didn’t get any chicken.”
Harlow stared blankly before snapping, “You went to KFC and didn’t get chicken?! What’s the point of going then?!”
“The sides, of course!” He sat the bags down on the empty side of the bed, before moving towards Harlow to help him sit up.
“The sides?!” Harlow cried in exasperation. A cry that ended in a grunt of pain when Foxx slipped his hands under the human’s armpits and tugged him upward into a sitting position against the backboard.
“Yes, the sides!” Foxx giggled, quickly moving around the bed and getting on. He unpacked the three bags. “I got mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, coleslaw, biscuits, and of course, a chocolate chip cake!”
“Why?” Harlow stared up at him with what could only be disbelief.
The man had also grown paler, but Foxx was pretty sure that was due to the pain of sitting up and not him. But hey, the man didn’t appear to be sweating, or shaking, so that was an improvement compared to earlier!
“Why, you ask? Well, it’s simple. I was craving mac and cheese, biscuits, and mashed potatoes. But no worries, I got coleslaw too, as I figured maybe you’d want it because, vegetables?”
Harlow sighed. “Just give me some damn mashed potatoes with corn.”
He frowned. “You don’t want the coleslaw?”
Foxx really thought Harlow would want it… It was just vegetables and… What else was in coleslaw?
“No, I don’t want the coleslaw, but I’ll take a biscuit.”
“Do you want your corn in your mash or…?”
“In,” Harlow grunted.
“Gravy?”
“No.”
“Okayyy.”
Foxx hummed as he grabbed one of the empty containers he’d gotten from the workers, and once he’d gotten the stupid plastic wrap off the spoon, he filled it up with a few scoops of potatoes, followed by some corn, before mixing the two.
“Ahh,” Foxx said as he lifted the spoon up and held it in front of Harlow’s mouth.
Lips pressing together in a firm line, the man’s eyes narrowed on him. Foxx would call the look murderous. Yep…murderous. “Foxx…I’m not a fucking child?—”
Foxx shoved the spoon in, stopping Harlow from saying anything more. The man continued to glare daggers. Foxx just smiled at the look and pulled the now clean spoon out.
“You’re really pushing it, aren’t you, brat?” Harlow ground out.
He chuckled. “I don’t know what you are talking about, old man. I’m just trying to take care of you.” Foxx scooped up another spoonful and fed it to Harlow.
“Just wait until I can move again.”
“Oh, I am.” Foxx smirked. “Last, I recall, you owe me some leg disabling sex. I plan to hold you to that promise.”
Harlow scoffed. “Before or after I kill you?”
He fed him another bite before saying, “Wow, didn’t know you were into that. But I could get Daydric to make some zombies for you to fuck, if that’s what you want, Harlow.”
The man choked, and started coughing. With each cough, the human winced in pain. Once the fit ended, Harlow looked at him with a face full of pure disgust. “Do people actually do that?!”
Foxx wrinkled his nose. “I”m not sure.” He hesitated before adding, “But probably.”
Let’s be real…there were some real freaks out there.
“And I’m the one fucked in the head?”
“Yes,” Foxx deadpanned.
Harlow chuckled. “I sure am, but so are you, brat.”
Foxx sniffed. “I am just unique, not fucked. Though…” He giggled. “I want to be…well fucked. So…” Foxx fed him another bite. “Get better so you can get on with that, old man.”
Harlow shook his head. “Just keep pushing, see where it gets you…”
Foxx rolled his eyes. They both knew damn well that the only thing it would get Foxx was Harlow’s cock deep in his ass. Which was exactly what Foxx wanted.
Foxx finished feeding Harlow, before eating the whole bowl of mac and cheese himself, along with two biscuits slathered in probably too much butter.
Setting what was left over in the fridge, he snagged a bottle of water from the pack he bought earlier and asked, “Want something to drink?”
“No,” Harlow grunted.
“You have to drink something some time, Harlow. As much as the hospital pumped you full of fluids, and stared amazed at you still being fucking dehydrated, it’s been hours since then.”
“I can hold off. Just help me lay back down on my stomach. I want to ice my back.”
He frowned. “Don’t tell me you are trying to avoid having to piss.”
Harlow averted his gaze.
“Harlow! I’m going to have to help you to the bathroom anyway! What’s the difference if it’s to piss or shit?!”
“Just drop it!”
Foxx unscrewed the lid of the bottle and pressed the rim to Harlow’s lips. “Drink,” he ordered.
Harlow glared, but when his gaze flicked down, there was yearning there.
Ah ha! The man wanted it. He bet with how long it had been, Harlow felt as dry as the desert at the moment! The standoff lasted a few seconds more before the human finally opened his mouth after cursing.
Foxx smiled and slowly tipped the bottle back. Once Harlow had finished it, he helped the man lay back down and flip over onto his stomach. Getting the human’s ice pack from the hotel’s tiny ass fridge freezer, he placed it on Harlow’s lower back, right where the doctor at the hospital had told him to.
That done, with a happy sigh, Foxx laid down horizontally on the bed and rested his head on the human’s back—right above where the ice pack currently laid.
“Get off me,” Harlow growled.
Foxx giggled and said, “No.”
The human just growled again in response, but didn’t say more. A few moments later, a soft snore floated up. Smiling, he rolled to his side and stared up at the back of Harlow’s head. As his eyes traced a few silver strands, he couldn’t help but notice that there were more now than compared to when they’d first met. And as much as he loved the mixture of black and silver…the realization had his stomach dropping.
Harlow was aging before his very eyes…already. But…it wasn’t like forty-six was that old by human standards, right? He knew he joked around and called him an old man…but Harlow wasn’t… He wasn’t old yet…
But he would be…eventually… All humans got older, unless something else cut their life short first. And while forty-six wasn’t old for a human…for a hunter…
Foxx grimaced. What if his back went during a fight? What if, in the future, it got the man killed?
No…no…Foxx would be there. He would stop it. He would keep Harlow safe. It was… He licked his lips. It was too soon for him to be worrying about any of this. Harlow was fine. The man had just twisted wrong. It wasn’t even an age-related injury… It could have happened to a human of any age.
Harlow was, and would be, fine…Foxx would make sure of it.
He reached up and lightly ran his fingers through Harlow’s hair. Laying there, Foxx couldn’t help but feel unbelievably content to be right by Harlow’s side. Which was odd. It hadn’t actually been that long. Not even a year had passed. Yet…somehow…
Foxx frowned. Would it be okay…even if nothing would ever come from it…for him to admit that he maybe…just maybe…liked Harlow?
It would be fine, right? As long as he didn’t tell him, or say it out loud… Foxx could admit, at least to himself, couldn’t he? He knew if he admitted it out loud, something would change between them, no doubt for the worst. But as long as he said nothing…things could stay the same. If he kept it inside, he could keep this contentment he felt with Harlow safe.
It was the best option, for sure. Because no matter what Foxx was feeling…he doubted Harlow would ever feel, or even could feel, anything back.
* * *
Harlow jerked awake,cursing as the sudden movement caused his back to tense. Swallowing down the scream of pain, Harlow took a few calming breaths while he blinked the sleep from his eyes.
He was still on his stomach, arms down by his side with his head propped up on a pillow. The position was awkward, to say the least. Harlow could also feel the weight of an ice pack on his lower back, but it was no longer cold.
At the sound of a whimper, he realized what—or rather who—had woken him up. Gaze flicking down, he grimaced on finding Foxx curled up and trembling, the blankets scrunched up below him.
“Ah…shit.”
Foxx whimpered again.
The man had to have a nightmare when he could do fuck all about it! Dammit…
“Foxx,” he rasped.
The man’s eyes didn’t open.
Taking a deep breath, pain be damned, he reached out, sliding his arm over the bed, grabbing onto what was in his reach—one of Foxx’s knees.
Foxx’s eyes snapped open on a startled cry, jerking from his touch. The trembling was worse than before, until the man must have realized he’d been asleep and that it was just Harlow.
Sobbing softly, tears spilling from his large aqua green eyes, the vampire wrapped his body around Harlow’s arm.
At the brush of a hand against his, Harlow grabbed on, interlocking their fingers together. “I got you, Foxx,” Harlow said softly. “I got you.”