Cepheus (BoyxBoy)

F i f t e e n

"Y-you didn't have to h-hurt the doctor. He was only trying to help."

Cepheus' head lifted in surprise at Bay's whisper. The boy had been mostly silent since the two were left alone in the room. If it wasn't for the nymph's allowance of Cepheus' touch and embrace, the vampire would've thought that the boy was mad at him.

He fingered one of Bay's brown curls as he took his time to answer, making sure to choose his words carefully as to not upset the fragile boy on his chest.

"You're right my love. I wasn't thinking clearly. My emotions got the better of me."

Cepheus ran his hand down Bay's back when the boy remained quiet.

"Are you in any pain?" He asked softly.

Bay shook his head slightly which brought his mate some comfort. However, his continued silence was starting to worry the vampire.

"Why won't you talk to me Blue?"Cepheus whispered. His tone was tinged with hurt, despite his efforts to hide the strong emotion.

"Did that man say something to you? Did...did he touch you?"

Cepheus' eyes started to flood red and his fangs elongated to press against his bottom lip when Bay didn't respond. But then a quiet murmur caused his primal side to retract instantly.

"No"

A small breath of relief escaped the vampire and he squeezed the boy closer to his chest. Although before he could say anything more, a soft knock sounded on the door.

"Who is it?" Cepheus asked in slight annoyance. He couldn't stand the presence of anyone but his mate right now. He wanted them to be left alone.

"Miss Melesandra told me that you wanted some food brought to your quarters." A soft voice wavered behind the door.

Bay seemed to perk up as the person spoke and Cepehus looked down at him in confusion.

"Come in then," The King spoke, with his eyes still watching the nymph.

"Isobel," Bay called once the servant opened the large set of doors. His voice held an upbeat lilt and he certainly sounded much happier than he had when talking to his mate.

Cepheus's heart squeezed in jealousy as he watched the short vampire shuffle over to the side of the bed with a large tray of food. He watched the steam billow from the large bowl of plain soup to try and distract himself from the feelings of rejection.

"Oh Bay, what happened?" Isobel exclaimed in shock.

Her teary eyes and alarmed expression only made the King's stomach churn in guilt.

"I-I'm fine, really. I-I don't wanna talk about it."

Isobel nodded in understanding and carefully placed the tray on the bedside table.

"Thank you, Isobel," Cepheus grumbled softly. He hoped that his mate would appreciate his effort to be cordial with this servant.

He would gladly grovel at this point, as it seemed that the nymph was willing to give his full attention to this Isobel, rather than him, his intended.

The girl's eyes widened as if she'd only just realized that the King was right there. She swallowed nervously and lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Isobel answered while twisting and pulling at her fingers.

She stepped back from the bed and slightly dusted off her apron.

"I hope you feel better Bay." She whispered before bowing slightly and hurrying out of the room.

The King sighed once she left and released the small boy from his arms.

"I'll leave you to eat." He murmured as he stood from the bed.

"Y-you're leaving?" Bay's voice heightened in alarm and he shuffled as he tried to sit up against the pillows.

Cepheus looked at him in slight confusion.

"You don't seem to want my company. I've clearly put you through enough, so I understand if you—"

"No!" Bay yelled. His eyes widened, seeming taken aback by his own outburst. "I-I mean, I don't want you to go. I do enjoy your company, I-I'm just...I just..."

The King's eyes softened as he saw tears fill the boy's silver eyes. He approached the bed once more and sat on the edge, allowing Bay to shift onto his lap.

"I'm scared." The nymph whimpered finally.

Cepheus clenched his jaw. That was the last thing he wanted to hear from his beloved. It hurt him that despite his power, despite his strength, he was unable to protect the most important person in his life. His mate should never know fear or other such emotions, and yet, here he was experiencing them all.

"My love," Cepheus sighed with a tender caress of the nymph's cheek.

Bay nuzzled his head in the vampire's chest and sniffled as he tried to slow down his tears.

"I promise I'm not mad at you. I-I just can't stop thinking a-about that m-man, a-and what could've happened if—"

The nymph broke down even more, his mind not being able to handle such abhorrent thoughts. He made himself small in his mate's lap, desperately wanting to be cocooned in his warmth and comforted by his protection.

"That mutt will never be a threat to you again, my beloved. No one will."

Cepheus tried to contain his emotions, knowing that he was as unstable as can be and he didn't want to upset the boy further.

But his words were still harsh, they were venomous and they were promising.

"I know that might not be enough to settle your fears but I don't know what else to do Blue. Your pain is my pain. I need you to tell me what I can do to make it go away. How can I make it all better."

Cepheus was basically pleading at this point. He couldn't handle seeing his mate in this state. His chest felt tight and control of his primal side was slipping.

It hurt. It hurt so bad.

The dark voice at the back of his head made sure he suffered even more by reminding him that he was the one who caused this hurting.

"Stay, dont leave please. I-I want you to stay."

The boy's words were desperate and his breathing erratic as he spoke. The vampire hushed his beloved while rocking him slightly.

"I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Cepheus' words were a soft hum as he reassured the nymph. "Here, let's get some food in that tummy of yours."

He pressed Bay securely against his chest as he shifted to fully sit on the bed.

The nymph hiccuped as his mate brought a spoonful of soup to his lips and he shook his head at the unfamiliar food.

"It's just water baby but it's warm and flavoured. You'll like it I promise."

Bay hesitated once more before finally accepting the spoonful of liquid. He sighed as the soup soothed his dry throat and warmed his middle.

The nymph decided it was a strange food but it was definitely comforting. He accepted the rest of the soup without protest until his stomach was full and sated.

"Don't forget these."

Cepheus held 2 pills in his hands that Bay placed on the table after the doctor gave them to him.

Thankfully, they were quite small and circular, so the nymph didn't have trouble swallowing them down with a glass of water.

Bay snuggled into the vampire's chest with a small yawn after his cup was taken away. All the crying had finally caught up to him; his body and mind were screaming in exhaustion.

"Bed time?" Cepheus murmured softly as he ran his hand down the boy's back.

Bay only nodded in reply and fluttered his eyes shut, all but ready for the darkness to pull him under.