Ohnai | bxb

52. That love

Lyris was looking at his mate with a distant look in his eyes. Lately that's all he's been doing--staring at his mate and he didn't even realize until Akaashi pointed it out.

"You've haven't blinked for three minutes."

Lyris jumped in surprise, with a hand over his heart.

"You vampires have got to stop doing that." He breathed.

They were sitting in the pack's kitchen table, watching Viridian flip pancakes.

Akaashi shrugged, and glanced at Viridian. "What's the deal? All the staring is making me uncomfortable."

Lyris flushed, his ears turning pink. "Well then you can go somewhere else."

"Are you bullying my mate?" Viridian walked over, slapping Akaashi's head and setting down a mug of hot chocolate in front of him.

Akaashi rolled his eyes and picked up the mug.

"Are you bullying mine?" Malek playfully punched Viridian on the arm, making Akaashi smile slyly.

"Ew stop," Tolen groaned, stepping into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Yeah there are too many couples here, too many," Rama walked in, bumping fists with Tolen.

"Guess we have to go somewhere else then," Lingaa walked inside, with Kingsley in tow.

"No, no, I have to, before y'all start making out or some shit," Tolen gagged walking out of the kitchen.

"Wait till you get a mate of your own," Lyris yelled after him.

"Don't bet on it," Tolen called out in reply, making him chuckle.

"He seems to be doing good." Kingsley commented. "Better."

Viridian nodded. "Yes. He had a good laugh after I told him about the 'war' the other day. He spat the water out laughing."

"Looks like he's back on track." Malek quipped, sitting down beside his mate.

"Dian." Lyris spoke up. "What about the kid you encountered the other day? Where is he?"

"What kid?" Rama asked, leaning on the table.

"There was this kid at the war, around fifteen--came at me with a spear. I locked him in the hospital ward. After the 'war' was over he didn't want to go back to his coven. So he's staying here." Viridian explained.

"Oh, that's, nice?" Malek didn't know how to word it.

"As a part of the pack?" Akaashi asked.

Viridian nodded.

"Is he going to school?" Lyris asked.

"He doesn't want to, and speak of the devil." Viridian crossed his arms against his chest and watched the kid come in with a frown on his face, shirt drenched in what looked like... tea?

Tolen came inside walking behind the fifteen-year-old.

"Don't people know how to walk anymore?" He grumbled.

"It was a bloody accident and I apologized." Tolen scoffed.

"That's not going to make my shirt look better is it?" The kid washed his hands over at the sink.

The boys around the kitchen watched their interaction with amusement, and all of them were equally curious about the kid.

"You're a witch figure it out," Tolen shrugged, pouring himself another cup of tea.

The fifteen-year-old murmured something under his breath and now Tolen was drenched in tea. "Oops." The kid muttered.

"I swear to god," Tolen gritted, and wasted no time in pouring the entire jug of tea over the fifteen-year-old's head.

The kid gasped. "You're so going to regret that."

"Too slow." Tolen muttered and he was out of the kitchen in a jiffy, with the fifteen-year-old hot on his heels.

"That was interesting," Akaashi mused.

"What's his name?" Malek asked.

"He's coming back, ask him yourself." Viridian pulled Lyris up. "Bye now."

Lyris looked at his mate amused, and soon they were in their condo, thanks to Viridian's vampire speed.

"What's up? You've been off all morning," Viridian asked sitting down on the recliner.

Lyris didn't know what to reply to that question. "Huh?"

Viridian smiled, shaking his head. "You're cute, but what's wrong? You've been awfully quiet."

Lyris remained standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

"Well, uh, I'm not sure," he shrugged.

The truth was, he himself didn't know why he was feeling a bit down, he thought that it might be just one of those days, but had no idea how to put it into words.

"You suck at communicating you know that?" Viridian stood up and gathered his mate in his arms.

"Thanks," Lyris muttered, leaning into his mate.

"Just talk to me--anything will do." Viridian slowly swayed from side-to-side, holding his mate closer.

"I just feel watching a sad movie--I miss your old house, I really liked it there. I liked how it was before, we went to school and everything."

Viridian looked fondly at his mate and laughed quietly. "You want to go to school?"

"No," Lyris whined in frustration. "I just want things to go back to how it was, and I feel so stupid for thinking that. The stupid war changed everything."

Viridian hummed, weighing his chin down on Lyris' shoulder. "I understand. But you know Virus, we made a lot of new friends because of the war--it brought us a lot closer."

"I just feel so sad." Lyris twisted the fabric of Viridian's shirt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for feeling something, Virus." Viridian spoke gently. He surprised himself at the tone of his voice, and all he wanted to do was make his mate feel better.

Lyris gulped, resting his forehead on his mate's shoulder. "Yeah."

"See, you only feel like this now, and I know where all this is coming from. You need to stop blaming yourself for how things unfolded at the war--we did what we had to do. We couldn't just stand by idly and let them attack us."

"I get that," Lyris cried. "I feel bad though."

"I know you do, and I don't blame you, but Virus," Viridian cupped his mate's cheeks, holding his eyes with his own. "If you ask me what I wish I had done differently I'd say nothing--I wouldn't change a thing. I'd go through everything all over again, good and bad, if it meant I'd be here right now, like this."

Lyris was holding unshed tears in his eyes and Viridian thought how pretty his make looked.

"But why?" The werewolf whispered.

"I love you, Virus--and because I love you, I wouldn't let anyone do anything that puts you or this pack in harm's way. I will stand before you as your armor and not let you take a single hit--because I love you that's why."

Lyris pinched his mate's cheeks as he cried.

"You have a way with words."

"And you look pretty when you cry."

Lyris chuckled as tears spilled out of his eyes.

"I love you too, by the way."

Viridian rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"You're so full of yourself," Lyris slapped his mate on the cheek playfully.

"You love me anyway."