Positive anticipation was such an incredible feeling.
Wyatt waited by the entrance gate as his bunny ran around in his mind like it was trying to win some imaginary race with itself.
I should have woken up a little earlier and run longer on the treadmill.
He was just glancing at his phone for the fifteenth time to check the clock when he heard a faint chime overhead and saw the first person wander out of the exit gate. His feet took a few unintentional steps closer as he waited, trying to be patient while his inner bunny did backflips like one of those little electronic toys he used to see in the mall around Christmas time. It was honestly taking quite a bit of effort to keep his rabbit's ears and tail from slipping free of his human skin.
Thankfully, he'd planned ahead just in case his bunny managed to out maneuver him in such a way, and had on a long black trench coat, black pants and a dark red long-sleeved shirt. If he randomly sprouted a tail, it would thankfully be well hidden. The ears, however, would be a bit more awkward.
The stream of people disembarking began to slow to a trickle as time went on, but he knew better than to worry. Sage needed a little extra time after landing before he'd be able to stand. He honestly wanted to go help the guy out, but he obviously wasn't allowed to just board the plane. Besides, Blake definitely wouldn't leave him alone.
He's probably hovering over him right now, worried and willing to help in any way that he could.
As he finished his thought, something caught his eye near the connecting tunnel leading to the plane.
There they are.
Blake had both carryon bags on his right shoulder as he helped support Sage with his left side. He also had the man's guide pole tucked beneath his arm, too.
Hurrying forward, Wyatt quickly took the two medium bags, as well as Sage's guide pole. He folded the pole, since Sage was definitely in no condition to be swinging it around. He then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Blake's forehead before taking the spot on Sage's other side.
"I smell an adorable little bunny rabbit," Sage whispered quietly as he allowed himself to be lead over to a chair to rest.
Wyatt humored him with a chuckle, but then immediately turned to a chastising tone.
"And I smell a bat who forgot to take his iron pills."
Sage grunted out a quiet scoff but didn't argue.
"I guess I left them... again."
They both knew that he hadn't intentionally left anything, but whenever he goes to visit his family, his grandmother, who unfortunately has been battling dementia and Alzheimer's, always had to go through his things to make sure that he had everything he needed for his camping trip with his father that weekend. Unfortunately, they hadn't gone camping in years, and his father had passed away eight months ago.
No one had the heart to tell her, and even if they had decided to be so cruel, she would have forgotten almost immediately, anyways. So, they let her go through his things, checking his camping supplies, and even turning out his pockets in case he decided to try and bring any cool bugs home when he wasn't supposed to... like he had done when he was eight. That's where she usually found his medication. Of course, he'd tried to hide it other places, but while the woman's mind was struggling in some aspects, she was still extremely sharp and could literally find a needle in a haystack with the perseverance of a professionally trained bloodhound. Even if he put them away around the house, they'd still somehow vanish. Thankfully, though, she never bothered trying to open the bottles and they always showed up on the counter a few days later, but by that time Sage was usually already back home.
Wyatt didn't press him about it. Instead, he moved in front of him and gently leaned over, removing Sage's dark sunglasses. To his slight surprise, Sage reached up and grabbed one end of them before he could fully pull them away. Reading the signal loud and clear, Wyatt released the glasses and straightened back up.
"You know I just need a nibble," Sage said as he carefully got himself back to his feet.
He seemed a little unsteady, but Blake didn't hesitate to step back beneath his arm and help hold his weight. His expression when he looked up at Wyatt, however, made him fail to bite back a grin.
Let's not talk about it in the middle of the airport.
"Let's go, you stubborn bat," he said instead, leading them as Blake helped a slightly-more mobile Sage walk the remainder of the way to retrieve their luggage.
Wyatt grabbed both suitcases and tucked Sage's guide pole into his, then lead them to the exit. He set all of their stuff next to a bench as Blake helped Sage sit down again. The guy looked a little better, but he knew that he was just trying not to worry Blake too much.
Heading across the street, Wyatt wove his way through hundreds of parked cars until he found his own, then ducked inside and got the heater turned up before buckling in and heading around to the pick up area.
Blake helped Sage get situated in the car while Wyatt got their baggage loaded into the trunk. They finished their tasks around the same time, and soon, they were heading home. He checked on Sage in the rear view mirror multiple times during the trip, but the man just seemed to be resting with his head settled against Blake's shoulder.
Blake looks very stressed.
"Don't worry about him. This tends to happen when he goes to visit his family. He just needs a bit of iron," he said, drawing Blake's attention toward him.
I missed those eyes so much.
A video call just didn't do them justice. He was honestly still extremely jittery since he hadn't gotten a chance to smother Blake in a strong hug yet, but they'd had to take care of Sage's needs first. A hug could wait... but not for too much longer.
"Thank you for coming back," he eventually said, making sure to keep his sentence short or risk delving into everything else he wanted to let fall from his mouth. Mainly, when can we be official and do you like being on your knees?
His mind had quite a few other thoughts that were much less appropriate, but thankfully he was a master at controlling himself.
Except... judging from the reddening color on Blake's cheeks, his thoughts had, unfortunately, be heard loud and clear.
"I should just stop thinking," he mumbled awkwardly as his own face warmed uncomfortably.
"Am I missing something fun?" Sage said quietly, a hint of humor in his tired voice.
Wyatt was about to tell him that he definitely wasn't, but to his utter surprise, Blake leaned his head sideways against Sage's, a smirk on his face.
"Master Wyatt was just wondering if I like being on my knees."
He... he's turned into a monster. What happened to my nervous, embarrassed submissive? Sage, what did you do!
Sage hummed for a moment as he considered Blake's words, but they both knew that he was just pausing to mess with him.
"That is definitely one of master Wyatt's favorite things. He rarely takes subs, but when he does, he loves to have them sitting on the floor, leaning against his legs and the sofa."
Darn it, Sage!
"He's a little mad at you," Blake said, giving away his thought without a care in the world.
Sage gave a slightly louder chuckle in response as a smirk stretched across his pale lips.
"I already love this situation."
Fighting himself to keep from rolling his eyes, Wyatt cleared his mind and focused on the road... but not before issuing one order.
"Behave, Blake."
The guy had the decency to look at a little embarrassed, but even the reprimand couldn't wipe the grin off of his face as he snuggled in a little more against Sage.
Why can't he drive? I want to cuddle with my beautiful sub...
He heard a faint bit of laughter in the back of his mind, making him immediately perk up. His bunny, too, which had at least calmed down a tiny bit since they'd left the airport, jerked its ears to pinpoints. Someone was intruding in its home, but it really liked it heard.
I don't think we'd get home in great shape if you handed him the wheel.
If he wasn't driving right then Wyatt would have dissolved into a puddle of mush.
You can talk into my thoughts whenever you'd like? he asked, immediately curious to learn more about the man's amazing ability. He'd thought that it was more of something akin to catching each other's thoughts, but if he could actually speak to people without having to say things out loud, too?
My baby is an angel.
He heard another little bit of laughter in the back of his mind and decided right then and there that he absolutely loved it. Blake could read his thoughts anytime.
Thank you for your permission, sir, but I try not to be too obtrusive.
He was about to tell Blake that he could intrude as much as he'd like, but his bunny decided to take the reigns of the conversation at that moment, sending thoughts of belly rubs, head pats, and delicious carrots to where Blake was carefully situated in the back of their mind.
Hello there, little guy. Those are some great ideas you've got there. I'd be more than happy to rub your belly, pat your head and give you all the carrots you could eat when we get back home.
Wyatt felt his body tense as it did its best to hold back the overly-excited bunny rabbit from shifting right then and there!
"Oh, oops. Sorry, I guess I got him a bit too excited," Blake whispered, a smile in his quiet words.
"It's alright, but let's ignore him until we get Sage inside and taken care of, then we can do a proper introduction," Wyatt said as they pulled off the interstate.
Blake gave a slight nod, nuzzling more against Sage's soft hair as the other man dozed comfortably.
"I was planning on going grocery shopping later today if you'd like to come?" he asked, having postponed his normal morning shopping trip since he knew that Blake would need things.
"Thank you, that sounds perfect," he replied, making Wyatt smile.
They were silent for the last twenty or so minutes of their drive, but as they pulled into his parking spot, they both got back to business. Wyatt got their things out of the car and upstairs in a flash, then came back down to help Blake with a sleepy Sage.
By the time they were finally all upstairs with all their things, Wyatt was just about ready for a nap. Sure, he normally got up early and stayed up late, but having to hold back an attention-ravenous bunny while also trying to hold back your own arms that just wanted to pull a certain adorable guy into them during a long drive? He was pretty darn tired.
"Master Wyatt, do we have something that can help Sage here?" Blake asked, clearly worried as he checked Sage's pulse and pale features.
"He forgot to leave a refill of his medicine here, but we can just do it the old fashioned way this time," he said, making Blake glance at him in confusion.
Wyatt grinned and walked over, patting the farther side of the sofa so that Blake would give him some room. His sweet submissive listened to the silent command without question, moving so that he could settle beside Sage.
"Alright you stubborn bat, time for a little lunch," he said as he lifted his hand, palm up, toward his own mouth.
He could sense Blake's curious interest as he moved, but before he could bite down and puncture his skin, Sage's hand grabbed his wrist.
"I love you, babe, but you're going to tear up your palm again," he whispered as set his sunglasses aside, then gently pulled Wyatt's hand closer to his chest. After grasping it softly with both hands, he lifted it to his own lips.
First, he placed a kiss against his warm skin, then he tilted his head slightly and, after positioning the outer edge of Wyatt's palm right between his lips, bit down.
"Wait a minute..." came Blake's dazed words as he stared around Wyatt at what was going on.
It took him a few moments to finish connecting the dots, but Wyatt was honestly glad that he wasn't freaking out at all.
"I get the fact that Sage is a bat shifter... but I'm going to go really far out on a limb now and say that his species of bat isn't the kind that eats fruit," Blake said, disbelief and awe mixing together in his voice.
Wyatt turned his attention to Blake with a smile as Sage nudged off his shoes and tucked his legs up on the couch, snuggling against him as he licked at his slowly bleeding palm.
"Correct. While being a shapeshifter, he can eat what human's normally would just fine, but he does need blood, or iron pills, to keep his animal side healthy. If it starts to go downhill, so will he."
Holy crap. So he really is...
Grinning, Wyatt reached over and rustled Sage's soft hair as the man continued to feed from him in a slight daze, his tongue softly lapping up a droplet of blood every few moments.
"Yep, Sage is a vampire bat."