Scribbles and Drabbles

Notebook Drabble 41 - Moments in Lifetimes 2

Brendan took a deep, long shower when he got home. He did some breathing exercises and as let the short water seep into his aching muscles. Living with Larosn did that. He had to learn many coping methods for dealing with the alien and everything that came with him. This was the first time Lawsen was going to punish him, though. He cleaned up, brushed his teeth and tried to ignore the impending sense of doom approaching. 

Exhaling, Brendan walked out into this bedroom, towel wrapped around his hips. There was nothing he could do. Until Larsen appeared, there was no telling what his plans were. Whether he was planning to bend Brendan over or force him to duel or leave him uncertain and nervous from that, who knew what the alien planned to do? 

Sitting on the bed, he rubbed the back of his neck, checking his phone. No messages or clues from Liz or Vicky. His stomach twisted, and his heart thumped hard. No news was good news, wasn't it?

This was stupid. 

He closed his eyes and slumped on his pillows. He'd washed them recently, and hints of lavender detergent wafted over him. There was no point in worrying about things out of his hands. Larsen would continue to be Larsen and do whatever the fuck he wanted, and they would be left in his wake. 

He drifted off.

He didn't know what woke him up, but he was cold. He wasn't under the blankets and not wearing anything but the towel. He'd left the light on. He twisted, intending to pull a blanket on him and turn the light off. He froze as fingers left his hair. Brendan wasn't alone. 

Larsen sat next to him, reading a book. Larsen glanced at him, and the glamour glitched again. His eyes turned yellow instead of the human hazel that he hid behind. Yellow eyes that were almost impossible to read. 

"Evening," Larsen ruffled Brendan's hair, a warm fondness in his voice. "Be a good boy and stay calm for me, will you?" he ordered gently, closing his book and marking the page with a bookmark. To be exact, the bookmark Brendan got from the library the last time they'd been handing out freebies to entice people into the building. 

"Evening," Brendan said, eyes glancing up to note that Larsen turned the main light off and was reading by his bedside table lamp. Larsen had made himself comfortable while waiting for him to wake up. Slow and warily, he sat up, painfully aware of the towel around his waist. He was at a disadvantage here. "Did you catch Vicky?"

"Yes, I did," Larsen's smile darkened.

"Well, that's good. At least I'm going to survive tonight." The words fell from his mouth, and he slapped his hand over his lips to stop himself from rambling about anything else that was stupid.  

"My dear, precious little one. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead," Larsen said, tone heavy with promise. 

Brendan wondered if his chest was about to explode.

"Breathe," Larsen ordered, claw-like hands resting on Brendan's bare legs. "You will be alive at the end of this. Don't worry, pet. I'm very fond of you, antics aside. I'd rather retrain you than kill you. What happened tonight was an annoyance that requires adjusting your priorities." 

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Brendan lowered his hand from his mouth.

"In a way," Larsen chuckled and kissed Brendan's cheek. "I told Victoria what I have planned for you and Elizabeth. Don't worry about that either. I don't like my pets being jealous or worried about each other." 

Brendan snorted, lightheaded from the fear. Larsen spoke as if this was a normal thing. Maybe for his kind it was. "Can't have that," he agreed.

"We can do this in one of two ways. I can humiliate you painfully, or I can humiliate you in a nonpainful way. Which would you prefer?"