20
Kylo
Lucas watches Lathan with narrowed eyes the entire time Lathan’s walking away from the table. It makes Kylo a bit agitated, knowing his boyfriend is being scrutinized.
“I like him,” Maria says, and wiggles her thin eyebrows at Kylo, snapping him out of his worry toward his brother’s expression.
Mateo sulks over to Kianna in Lathan’s absence, and she tries to distract him with various toys. “He seems really sweet.”
“He really is,” Kylo agrees, turning his gaze down at his hands resting on the table. “He’s always looking out for me. He’s strong, kind, thoughtful… I honestly don’t know how I would’ve gotten through this term without him.” His mind drifts to images of all of their sweet moments together. Then his eyes widen and his face flushes, realizing he’s confessing his feelings to his whole family. “I mean, we haven’t been together for long, but still.” He scratches the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
His mom giggles. “Oh, sweetheart. You don’t have to make excuses. I can tell you love him.”
“You know, I told your mother I loved her the day we met,” his dad says.
“And I thought you were nuts,” she laughs. “But apparently, it was true.”
A genuine, grateful smile stretches across Kylo’s face at their comments. He looks back down, debating with himself before raising his eyes to them again. “I do,” he sighs, biting the metaphorical bullet, admitting it to them. “I love him.”
Maria beams, but Lucas shifts uncomfortably, looking slightly off at the other families nearby. “I just don’t know why a vampire,” he says. “You’ve always dated wolves. It’s safer that way.”
Kylo is taken aback, his expression not hiding his offense. He noted his brother’s odd behavior and blunt questions earlier, but this blatant disrespect for his partner is getting on his nerves. “He’s not dangerous, Luc. You saw him playing with Mateo.”
“I’m surprised Kianna let him,” Lucas says, eyeing their sister. “He’s still a stranger. What does he even know about werewolves?” Kianna just gives him the same look as earlier, shaking her head subtly as if trying to tell him to stop.
“He knows enough,” Kylo snaps.
“I’ve seen a lot of vampire injuries come into the hospital. Has he ever tried to bite you? Pressure you about it?”
Kylo’s stomach drops. The memory of how they first met flashing in his mind, then immediately shifting to last week—Lathan’s starvation due to the guilt he carries. His fists clench on the table between them. “He’s never pressured me. Ever. On anything. Lathan’s a good man.”
“Lucas, that’s enough,” Maria says, less chipper than she naturally is. “You made the trip to see your brother, not interrogate him.”
“You don’t see any issue with this? Really?” Lucas turns to face their mom, bewildered that neither of their parents are backing him up. “They clearly come from very different walks of life. He doesn’t even see his parents. What did he do?”
The last comment burns in Kylo’s veins, causing his jaw to tense and his nostrils to flare. Lathan has endured endless neglect and abuse at the hands of his parents, all the while doing everything in his power to live up to their unattainable expectations. But that’s not his story to tell.
Pushing himself to standing, hands flat against the table, he leans toward his brother. “He didn’t do anything ,” Kylo snarls, showing his fangs to establish dominance—to protect his man. Frightened by the snarl, Mateo whimpers and sinks behind Kianna nervously.
Lucas scoffs and rolls his eyes at Kylo’s display. “Sit down. Don’t be a child about this. If you’re going to date someone so far out of your species, you need to be able to talk about it.”
“ Alright ,” their father warns, a small attempt to slow the roll of this argument.
Kylo just grits his teeth, his ears straightening back, mirroring his furrowed brows. “Luc, you’re attacking my boyfriend for the body he was born in. If you have questions, fine, ask away, but watch your tone.”
“I’m not attacking anyone,” he says coolly. “I just don’t buy his nice-guy attitude. Why didn’t you mention him to anyone before today?”
Kylo lets out a long breath as he takes a seat, trying to level himself out. “Life was busy with classes and we only made things official, like, a month ago. Besides, this reaction is exactly what I was afraid of,” he answers calmly, ice lacing every word.
“A month-old relationship is a weird one to introduce to your family.”
He rolls his eyes. “You wouldn’t understand,” he says under his breath, crossing his arms.
“You’re right about that,” Lucas bites.
“Okay! That’s enough,” Maria finally pipes in, visibly upset.
“Lucas, maybe you need to take a walk. Go get a drink or something,” David says, trying to be chill.
“Nope.” Lucas sits up. “I’m fine here, thanks.”
“Whatever.” Kylo looks away with a frown. Lathan’s been gone for a little while…I’m gonna go find him. Gives me an excuse to take a break from this bullshit. “I’ll be back,” he says, pushing himself out of the bench.
“Okay, honey.” Maria smiles gently at him. As Kylo storms off toward the dormitories across the field, he can hear his mom scolding Lucas. Why’s he being such a fucking prick?
Grumbling to himself about Lucas’ rude behaviour as he walks down the concrete path, he steps up to their building and swings open the doors. As he does, a figure slumped against the wall catches his eye.
“Lathan!”
Kylo throws himself through the doorway, falling to his knees at his side. Pressing the back of his hand to the vampire’s reddened forehead, he notes how hot it feels to the touch.
“Lathan, baby, wake up,” he begs, rocking him gently to wake him. When it doesn’t work, he shakes him a little harder. “Lathan, please wake up,” he whimpers at his lack of response, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. He takes his wrist and presses two fingers to his inner veins—nothing. Being a vampire, his pulse is too weak for Kylo to detect. What do I do? What do I do? he panics, looking between the door and his unconscious boyfriend.
Fuck it.
Kylo rushes to his feet and sprints out the door, running as fast as he can back down the path and into the field. “LUCAS!”
His whole family looks up and Lucas wastes no time, knowing something is wrong—he knows the tone of voice used for a medical emergency.
“Stay here,” Lucas instructs the family before running toward Kylo, who immediately turns on his heels and sprints back to the building.
Lucas pours into the building behind Kylo without a word. When he sees the body on the ground, he pauses, then goes into nurse mode. Kylo watches anxiously as his brother presses his fingers into Lathan’s neck, pushing hard against his carotid artery and waiting. He nods, a signal he’s found a pulse.
Despite the obvious differences between him and his older brother, Kylo trusts his expertise. Lucas has always shared stories of the medical mysteries his hospital has solved involving people of all species. So he knows that whatever is wrong, he’ll know what to do—even if he’s not particularly fond of his choice in life partner.
“He’s fine,” he says as he runs his hand across Lathan’s forehead, feeling the same hot and clammy skin Kylo did. “Grab his legs. Help me bring him to the couch.”
Kylo hops into action without a word. Scooping up his legs, they gently carry Lathan over to the couch in the building’s lobby.
“Take his jacket and shirt off,” Lucas instructs as he looks around for supplies. “We need to cool him down quickly.”
Kylo shimmies the leather coat off his arms as Lucas moves over to the other side of the room, ripping a small first aid kit from the wall. He rummages through it and shakes his head.
“This stuff is crap,” he mumbles, slamming it shut before walking back to Kylo’s side. “I got this. Go get something cold I can put on his neck.”
He nods and takes off down the hall, eyes scanning for the ice machine and widening as he spots it in a niche. While the machine dispenses ice, the vessels are on a bring-your-own basis. Hesitating for a moment as he thinks, he whips off his shirt and holds it out between extended hands like a plate. With a bit of balancing, he pulls the lever and fills the shirt with as much ice as it will pocket. Tying the corners together, it creates a large ice pack that he rushes back over with.
Emerging back into the main area, Lucas is using medical scissors to cut Lathan’s shirt down its midline. It’s too wet with sweat to pull off, sticking to his skin even as Lucas peels it from him. Looking up from his work, he doesn’t acknowledge Kylo’s shirtless body, simply taking the makeshift bag of ice and placing it behind Lathan’s neck. Turning around, he snags a magazine from the rack beside the couch, and bends it to make a better structure, fanning Lathan.
“Is there water? Get water.”
Again, without hesitation, Kylo listens to his brother and sprints up the stairs. He runs down the hall toward their dorm, fumbling with his keys as he shoves them into the lock. Inside, he retrieves a water bottle and nearly forgets to relock the door before racing back down. Handing the bottle off to Lucas, his chest heaves with how quick he’s trying to act, terrified for Lathan’s safety and wellbeing. After everything they’ve been through in the past month, he just wanted today to be respite.
“Is,” Kylo huffs, still catching his breath, “he gonna be okay?”
Lucas takes the bottle and wets Lathan’s hairline, tricking some onto his sunburnt face before setting the rest aside for Lathan to drink when he wakes up. “He should be. As long as he wakes up,” Lucas says. “Sunstroke,” he adds, and then looks over at Kylo’s concerned face. “This is what I was getting at. You two are very different, and being together means you’re responsible for those differences. I’m assuming he didn’t use sunscreen this morning?”
“No, I didn’t see him put any on…,” Kylo replies quietly, worried and ashamed. I should have told him earlier, then he would’ve been prepared.
“His face is burnt pretty good. He should have come inside sooner, but he was too busy trying to impress his boyfriend’s family.”
Kylo lowers into a squat, running his hands over his face. He suffered this for me? Gods, he should have told me! But I should have known.
Lucas moves to the other side of the couch, leaning over the back of it, continuing to fan Lathan where Kylo can feel the end of the breeze.
“Kylo,” Lucas says slowly—something different in his voice.
Looking up, Kylo lowers his hands into a praying position, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers pressed to his lower lip. Watching his brother, he notices his eyes moving from Lathan’s body back to his.
“Kylo,” he says again, harsher, to get his attention—properly.
“What?”
“These scars are new.” Lucas’ voice is low. Despite the tight hold his brother has on his eyes, Kylo lowers his sights to the bright pink, fresh scars contorting Lathan’s tattooed shoulder. His eyes shut tight and his head lowers in shame. He knows what he’s done, and now so does his brother.
“How did this happen? Were you not in W Block?”
“Obscura had so many new students this year, they failed to notify every werewolf about the first full moon. I should’ve known anyways, but I didn’t.” Due to Lucas’ age, his seniority amongst their siblings, he’s the stickler of the family. “Lathan’s my roommate… He kept me contained in our room and suffered the consequences.”
Lucas raises an eyebrow at him. “He’s your roommate,” he repeats, as if trying to let that tidbit plant in his head. “He kept you contained? Like, with what?”
“Himself.”
Kylo raises his eyes to meet his brother’s stunned stare. He’s quiet at the comment, and then looks down at Lathan.
“Please, just…don’t tell Mom and Dad,” he adds, quieter.
Lifting a hand, Lucas nods. “I get it. I won’t.” His voice has settled, now finally sounding like his big brother; less judging, less down his throat. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly. “Why don’t you go find a shirt? Maybe something cooler for Lathan to wear when he’s awake. Since you’re roommates .”
Kylo lifts to his feet and drags himself back up the stairs. Guess that cat’s out of the bag. Here’s hoping Luc can keep it from escaping further. Gods…just as our relationship is healing, just as things were going well, I go and fuck it up again.