10
Kylo
Warmth and darkness shrouds Kylo until the faint sounds of movement pull him from his slumber. The world fades into view as he slowly wakes, turning over with a tired groan.
“Lathan?” he calls out in a groggy, raw voice. Though he can control his vocal cords when transformed, it’s much harder to contort them to form English words, which, in turn, causes soreness once he’s returned to normal. As he comes to, the events from last night rush at him, causing him to fling forward into a seated position with a racing heart. His eyes, wide, land on Lathan across the room. He’s injured him, badly, and is terrified he’ll never look at him the same. Terrified that last night was the last night for them.
Without registering his nakedness, he rips the throw blanket off him to stand, words already leaving his mouth.
“Gods! I am so fucking sorry. ‘Sorry’ doesn’t even cut it!” He steps toward Lathan as he rattles off his thoughts. “I-I should have known it was a full moon—they didn’t send me a notice, but I should have known regardless. It was irresponsible. Worse! It was reckless! I could’ve killed you!” His hand jumps up to cover his mouth, the word sinking in. “I…I could’ve killed you …” He looks down in shame-fuelled resolution, then realizes he’s completely nude.
“Shit!” He whips around, grabbing the small throw off his bed. He knows he wouldn’t have covered himself after falling asleep, only now realizing it was placed over him for modesty. Once wrapped around his waist, he sits and finally shuts up, rubbing the space between his brows pensively.
Rather than the reprimanding he’s expecting, Lathan chuckles, seemingly entertained by his dramatic panic. Kylo lifts his head as Lathan approaches, flapping a pink paper in his hand.
“School’s taking the blame. They forgot the notice. Looks like you weren’t the only one it affected either.” He takes the paper and glances it over. This is all but useless now. He rolls his eyes, crumpling it in his hand before throwing it to the floor, still feeling responsible, and sighs.
“What…happened?” His eyes lift to meet Lathan’s before continuing softly. “Are you okay?”
Lathan searches his face. “You don’t remember?”
“I…” Right, he probably doesn’t know how it works when I shift. Why would he? “I don’t remember the first hour before I… woke up .” He swallows. “Werewolves take time to adjust to our form. Our brains dissociate for an hour, sometimes more for children. My parents call it the ‘Power Hour.’ During that time, instincts take over. It can be…messy, until we regain consciousness.” He pauses a moment, unable to look at Lathan. “In W Block, we’re put into individual holding cells and chained for the hour. The instincts are still there after, but we have control over them. That’s when I’m able to remember.”
Lathan hums, considering as he eyes the pink crumpled paper. “Then that’s all you need to know,” he says with finality, picking up his sheets from the floor and turning to add them to his small laundry pile. The moment he does so, Kylo’s eyes land on the teeth marks embedded in his shoulder, peeking out from under his tank top. He doesn’t appear in pain but those wounds are too large to not hurt, the skin around them still red and inflamed from being hours old.
A sinking feeling drags in his chest, his eyes saddening with regret and guilt. Reaching an arm under his bed, into his suitcase, he pulls out his last pair of clean underwear and black skinny jeans, slipping them on as quickly as possible while Lathan’s back is turned. Once covered, he walks over to him, touching the warm skin on the back of his arm, just below the bite on his shoulder. “You’re hurt.”
Lathan flinches, then tries to harden his stance. Kylo retracts his hand immediately, clutching it against his chest.
“I’m fine. It’ll heal,” he says, turning to face Kylo completely. “This isn’t your fault.”
Fear and worry etch his face. “Of course it is. I-I hurt you, badly. I may not remember how it happened, but I remember cleaning them up…” How you have so little blood that I couldn’t smell it…until it was running down your skin. Until I tasted how bitter it was.
“Let me at least take you to the clinic. Please,” he begs. Anything to fix this. Mend what they had. Make up for his mistake.
Lathan exhales through his nose slowly, looking down at him. “Did you do it on purpose?”
The question is sudden and catches Kylo off guard. “What? Gods, no!” He leans forward, still clutching his own hand.
“Then stop. Stop blaming yourself. You’re going to see the wounds, I can’t change that overnight. But seeing this, ” Lathan says, grabbing Kylo’s hand from him, emphasizing the bites on his palm and wrist that his fur had prevented Lathan from sealing, “hurts just as much for me.”
Kylo looks down at the punctures, having completely missed them. He couldn’t even feel the sting of the bruises clouding around each set of holes.
“I’m sorry, too,” Lathan says softly, turning Kylo’s hand, still examining the aftermath of his fangs, a similar sadness to Kylo’s mirrored in his eyes.
Kylo’s lips part as his jaw loosens. Everything in him wants to hug Lathan tightly and never let go. He wants to cry and kiss every wound he inflicted until they’re nothing more than a memory.
A moment of silence beats between them before Kylo can’t hold back. Stepping forward, closing the distance, he gently slips his arms around Lathan’s torso, being cautious to avoid his wounds as he holds him, burying his face in his chest. Lathan relaxes against him, wrapping a strong arm around him in return, using his weaker arm to place a hand on the back of his head, nestling his fingers into his curly hair. A loving embrace.
Despite the traumatic night they’ve shared, Lathan doesn’t seem fazed. Still willing to hold Kylo the way he hugged him abruptly in the courtyard. There’s something about him that feels warm, comforting, right. Like puzzle pieces that have found their match.
“I don’t want to hurt you ever again…,” Kylo breathes, muffled by Lathan’s tank top. Two tears manage to form and roll down his cheeks, soaking into the tank’s fabric as he blinks away any more.
Lathan leans back, taking his arms off Kylo’s body so he can scoop his face into his hands, cradling his cheeks. “You read my mind.” He inches closer to his face, brushing their noses, lips hovering dangerously close. “But I don’t care if you do,” he whispers, his breath heating Kylo’s face, which flushes like clockwork, “I’ll still want you.”
Kylo’s breath shudders and he closes his eyes as his hands find Lathan’s hips. A calm washes over him with Lathan’s words, filling him with a sense of completeness, belonging, and love.
“I’m yours, for as long as you’ll have me.” A heavy sentiment to offer for only having known each other for a short while, yet, something deep within the cavern of his biology tells him it’s true.
Lathan closes the gap between their lips, pressing against Kylo’s mouth. He consumes him, prying his lips apart, searching for his tongue with his own, his kisses like lava. Everything drowning out around them. The wounds torn into both of their bodies, the fear, the worry, the guilt, none of it matters. Kylo feels whole, feels seen. Lathan is so many things—kind, quiet, thoughtful, stubborn, brave—he’s a mystery Kylo wants to unfold with gentle, patient hands. He longs for him, all of him. The good, the bad, the ugly—his slick bare chest, his saliva, the cock he never got the chance to see, the chance to feel inside him. He wants it all.
◆◆◆
Their heated rush of mutual excitement eventually dies down as they both begrudgingly accept the need to carry on with their days, separately. Though, Kylo doesn’t leave for class without first making Lathan promise to visit the clinic, to have his wounds tended to. Since Obscura is taking blame for the incident, they’re banking on the hope that questions won’t be asked regarding his obviously werewolf-induced lesions, and no one will suffer the consequences. So, while Lathan leaves to seek medical attention, Kylo slips on a pair of fingerless gloves and a long-sleeve shirt to keep his unsealed, unhealed vampire bites hidden from any prying eyes.
Grabbing a quick iron-rich meal from the cafeteria after classes, Kylo has to force himself to walk back to the dorm, despite the giddy anxiousness fluttering in his stomach telling him to sprint. Just the thought of Lathan sends blood rushing to his cheeks, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a cheeky smile. He’s not entirely sure what they are; they obviously both like each other on a deeper level than just lust, but they haven’t actually discussed their feelings, or what either of them are looking for. Is he polyamorous? Does he just want to be friends with benefits? Or…does he want to be exclusive? I hope it’s the latter.
Unlocking the door and stepping in, Kylo is back to his chipper, happy-go-lucky self. Though, his excitement to see his roommate is helping.
“Hiya!” he chimes, closing the door behind him. Walking over to his desk, marred with scratches from his ruthless claws, he places his bag down and begins unpacking it as per usual.
“Hey. How was class?” Lathan replies casually, his oh-so-cool persona never failing to impress Kylo. Glancing over, his crush is dawning a sleek, black button-down, its sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, the raised veins on his forearms on full display. He’s sitting at his own desk, turned to lean an arm on the back of his chair to look at him.
“Meh, it was fine.” He shrugs. “How’re you feeling?”
“Better. But I don’t think I’ll give you the final count of stitches,” he jokes.
Kylo looks at him with a half silly, half frightened look before shaking his head. “You’re right, I don’t wanna know,” he says with a somewhat nervous chuckle.
“Hey,” Lathan starts, his tone shifted, causing Kylo’s ears to perk up. “When’s your last class tomorrow?”
“Uh.” He thinks. “Tomorrow’s Friday, so I’ll be off early. Should be done by three o’clock. Why?” He looks up briefly, pulling out his laptop and textbooks.
Lathan grabs something from beside his computer. Holding up two slips of paper, he slaps them against his palm, looking from them to Kylo. “I got us bus passes for tomorrow, if you wanted to get something to eat off campus with me.”
Kylo slowly looks up into midair from his task before turning to look at the vampire across the small room, his hands still on his bag.
“You’re…asking me on a date?”
He isn’t sure if he’s stopped breathing, or if the question simply took his breath away, but for a second his body stops responding. Awe sparkles in his eyes as his classic bashfulness returns to colour his cheeks and nose.
Lathan cocks his head with charm, still holding the tickets in his palm, fingers clamped around them. “Yeah, I am,” he says, standing from his desk to walk over to Kylo, placing the tickets on his desk.
I nearly mauled him to death and he wants to take me on a date?! Am I dreaming? Is this heaven? Somebody slap me—NO, WAIT. I take that back, I don’t ever want to leave. Kylo looks down at the tickets, surprise still struck on his face, reading the print that states the bus tickets are good for one round-trip shuttle ride to and from the nearest town of Ridley, California. The hourly bus system allows students to explore outside campus, see a movie, try some different food, go shopping—as long as they’re accounted for with a ticket from student services.
Looking back up at Lathan, an adorable smile spreads across his lips, reaching his eyes. “I’d love to.”
“Mm. You’ll have to let me know what you like to eat then,” his roommate says, his eyes bright. Then he tilts his head. “You aren’t seeing anyone else right now, are you? I never asked.”
“Oh—n-no! I’m not.” Kylo’s eyes widen, shaking his head in affirmation of his statement. “Are you?” He rebounds the question, hoping with every fibre in his being that he isn’t.
“Just you,” he says, stepping closer slowly. He pinches the fabric of Kylo’s shirt, over his lower stomach, tugging him forward slightly. “And I don’t want anyone else touching you. I don’t share.”
His eyes flicker between Lathan’s, his blush taking over his face completely. “Noted,” he exhales, the only word he can muster. Lathan just stares, burning hotly into him for a moment before backing up and placing his hands into his pockets, smirking with satisfaction.
Kylo takes a slow, deep breath in, as much air as his lungs will swallow, before turning away from Lathan. Bending at the waist, placing his hands on his knees, he lets it out equally as slow, cheeks puffing up as if he’s blowing out a candle. Gods, I’m dating the hottest being on campus.