“It's been four days,” Aro mumbled against Marcus's bare shoulder
“What are you suggesting?” Marcus questioned, leaning into his mate’s touch
“He wants you to convince Stephan to leave that room,” Caius butted in as he walked into their bedroom,”I highly suggest it as well, that mate of his constant begging, makes me want to punch something,” he drawled, rolling his eyes
“Yes but you'd do the same if it were one of us,” Marcus muttered, closing his eyes and putting his face into Aro's neck,”Stephanos will leave when he's ready, this is the shortest he's ever isolated. He just needs time,”
“If we leave it up to Steph, he'll be in there for the rest of his life,” Caius commented, picking up one of his sketchbooks and starting to draw
“Mio Caius is right, darling,” Aro sighed,”He listens to you more than anyone else-” he continued to try to persuade
“He listens to Alec,” Marcus cut him off, sighing tiredly and looking up at his husband,”I think he would be a better option,” he whispered, and put his face into Aro's neck once more
Raising a brow, Caius took in Marcus's body language and tone,”Marcus, my love,” he said softly, sharing a look with Aro when their husband looked up with a sad expression,”What's going on?”
“Nothing,” Marcus muttered, earning narrowed eyes from the blonde and concerned from the blacknette,”I just think Alec would have more of an affect on Stephan,” he gave weakly
Walking over to the bed, Caius took a seat next to his husbands and caressed Marcus's cheek,”What's really going on, mio amore?” He asked gently
“This is all my fault,” Marcus whispered, avoiding the gaze of his mates as guilt coursed in him
“What are you talking about?” Aro questioned, worried about what his husband was thinking
“I turned him, I cursed him with this life. I'm the reason he's in that room suffering,” Marcus confided, his eyes filling with venom
“His human life was not good to him,” Caius told him, gently lifting Marcus's face,”You saved him, mio amore,”
“I bet he would beg to differ,” Marcus whispered, sighing as he moved away from the touch of his mates. He didn’t deserve it after bringing Stephanos into an endless life of misery.
“Perhaps, you should talk to him about it,” Aro suggested,”You'll never know how he truly feels unless you ask and I'm sure that he does not blame you, Marcus,” he told him, moving closer to him and kissing his shoulder,”Look at us, my love” he whispered
Turning to glance at his husbands, Marcus sighed as he noticed the worry he was causing them both,”I'll talk to him,” he murmured
°
“Jasper,” Marcus greeted, the young vampire was sitting on the floor by the room which Stephanos resided,”That doesn't look comfortable,” he commented
“It's alright,” Jasper shrugged, shutting his book,”I told Stephanos I would be here until he was ready,” he explained his current state
“Thank you, Jasper,” Marcus thanked, noticing the blondes confusion he chuckled,”For being so understanding with Stephan,” he clarified
“It's not much to understand,” Jasper chuckled,”None of this is his fault, he didn't willingly give himself any of this. I know that all of this is hard for him, harder than any of it has been for me. And I am more than willing to be here for him and help him through it as long as it takes,” he declared, earning a soft smile from Marcus
“You are an exceptional vampire, young one,” Marcus told him, and opened the door. Upon walking in, Marcus's eyes immediately landed on his trembling son.
Stephanos was sitting on the floor, knees pulled to his chest as he trembled. Looking up at his Papa, he gave him a weak smile,”Hi, papa,” he whispered
“Hi, Stephan,” Marcus whispered back, offering him a gentle smile but there was guilt in his eyes,”How’re you feeling, little one?”
“How I assume my victims must feel,” Stephanos whispered brokenly, he felt absolutely miserable as his body still littered in cracks and the trembled shook his tired body
“What can I do for you?” Marcus questioned, desperately wanting to make his son feel better. He couldn't help but feel extra guilty seeing him like this
“There's nothing you can do, papa,” Stephanos muttered,”It'll pass eventually,” he whispered as a terrible tremble passed through him causing his body to shake and him to hold his legs close to his chest as it passed
“I’m so sorry, little one,” Marcus murmured, his emotion getting the best of him as he watched his son
“What for?” Stephanos questioned after the small episode passed, giving his papa confused eyes
“I am to blame for your predicament. I-I was the one who gave you this life,” Marcus spoke softly, his eyes slightly filling with venom as his emotion rose,”I am the reason for your pain and I am so pitifully sorry,” he apologized, his words shocking Stephanos as he had never blamed his papa for any of his troubles
“I do not blame you, papa,” Stephanos whispered sincerely,”I never have and never will. You saved me from that wretched human life I lived, and though I don’t remember it fully I remember how it felt. I’ve never felt as miserable as I did back then even now,” he told him as strongly as he could
“You mean this? You’re not just saying this?” Marcus questioned, he had dealt with this guilt for eons and he truly needed to know if his son blamed him
“I mean it with all of my dead heart, papa,” Stephanos promised, and once again this moment was a reminder of the curse put upon him. They should be hugging and taking a moment together in silence just letting each other know that they love and cherish them.
“Ti voglio bene, figlio mio (I love you, my son),” Marcus said softly, a thankful smile on his lips
“Ti amo, papa (I love you, papa),” Stephanos replied instantly, giving him a weak smile
After a moment of silence, Stephanos sighed as he thought of his mate,”Is he still out there?” he asked, Jasper having cracked the door open slightly just to tell him he’d be there waiting for him after begging him to let him in
“He is,” Marcus confirmed, nodding his head and taking a seat at the table on the other side of the room,”He’s true to his word,”
“I feel awful about all of this,” Stephanos sniffed, putting his face into his hands
“Of what, little one?” Marcus questioned, making sure to keep a gentle tone
“Of putting him through all of this. He’s been put into my ring of chaos and I just don’t feel like I’m worthy of him. He’s been so understanding and in return I continue to invite him into my black hole of problems,” Stephanos ranted, his eyes turning pitch black from the pure emotion,”I’m a mess, papa and he’s stuck with me for all eternity. What kind of life is that? To be stuck with me of all vampires,” he spoke intensely, it was obvious this had been bothering him for a while and he had no outlet
Throughout his entire rant, Marcus could see the string that connected the two mates dim slightly, almost as if the bond between them was taking a step backwards. He couldn’t have that though. Their bond was just becoming strong and the two were just starting to become real friends.
If the bond weakened, Marcus was sure it would be difficult to regain. It was already hard to get Stephanos on board with the whole idea of a mate or close friend that wasn’t Alec. If things went back, the king wasn’t sure if Stephanos would ever truly allow himself to try again.
“You are not a mess, Stephan,” Marcus said sternly, causing Stephanos to scoff weakly,”None of this is your fault. Mates help each other throu-”
“I’ve done nothing for him,” Stephanos hissed, he wasn’t angry at his papa, Marcus knew this, but he was angry with himself and his reality,”I have given him nothing but countless reasons to hate the life he has to live now. I’m a terrible mate and he’s destined to be with me for all of eternity,” he whimpered
“How long are you going to keep yourself locked in here?” Marcus changed the subject
“Until it passes,” Stephanos answered vaguely, sighing as he leaned more onto the wall
“The episode or the bond?” Marcus questioned, though his voice was calm there was an undertone bothersome. He wasn't angry but he was on edge about the bond awakening
Staring at his Papa for a moment, Stephanos narrowed his eyes at the king,”What does it matter?” He muttered
“It matters because it's affecting the bond-”
“Why do you all keep pushing for this bond? I don't care about it, I don't want it. The second he came here everything got worse and I brought this perfect vampire into my tragedy of a life,” Stephanos cut him off, scoffing
“The bond breaks and you die,” Marcus murmured, observing his sons reaction and his heart breaking
Chuckling, Stephanos scoffed and he looked completely broken,”I don't care,” he whispered
“D-dont say that, Steph,” Marcus stuttered, he didn't understand where this was all coming from. He seemed so content before his last session, there had to be more to it,”Steph, what happened?”
“What?” Stephanos questioned, confused on what his Papa was talking about
“What happened between your session and now?” Marcus asked, giving his son more clarity,”Why are you suddenly so against the bond when you were just accepting it? What's wrong, little one?” He asked softly, noticing how Stephanos avoided his gaze and seemed to tense
“Nothing,” Stephanos muttered, holding a blank expression as he thought of the other day
Walking into the room, Alec tried his best to mask the sadness that filled him as his eyes moved to Stephanos who looked incredibly weak.
“You have to feed,” Alec murmured, offering a gentle smile to the prince that whimpered as he lifted his head,”It will make you feel better,” he said, setting the tray of glasses filled with blood on the floor as close as he could to the prince and took a few steps back
Breathing heavily, Stephanos slowly and weakly moved to the tray, taking a glass and sipping the blood hungrily. He hadn't fed in a while and it helped with the pain that came with his phobia break outs.
“Thank you, mio Alec,” Stephanos whispered, his eyes thankful but he was too weak to smile at his guard
Ignoring the way his heart swelled, Alec sighed and nodded at the prince in thanks.
Noticing how tense Alec looked, Stephanos’s heart hurt thinking that maybe he had finally awoken fear in his closest, only, friend.
“Is everything okay?” Stephanos questioned, hoping with every part of his being that Alec wasn't frightened of him.
He couldn't lose him. He truly did need Alec more than anything in his life. The blacknette treated him differently than others. Alec truly cared for him in ways no one, even his fathers could.
Alec accepted him fully, his raging emotions along with quick mood swings, his rushing mind that constantly needed reassurance, the flashbacks he used to be tormented with, and above all his curse.
When the kingdom found out about his curse, many avoided him at all cost. Kept their distance in fear of their prince. Only Alec stayed with him through it all and offered him comfort, even after what happened with Felix.
None of it changed how Alec saw him or treated him, not until now.
Now Stephanos isn't stupid. He picked up on his Alec’s reaction to Jasper's presence and he could tell his want for Jasper to join him in his session brought negative emotions from his guard.
Even with the immense amount of trust he held in Alec, he had never once wanted him to be in that room and a month after knowing Jasper, the blonde was invited in the room.
Perhaps it was because of the mate connection, the growing bond between them but it didn't take away a sense of betrayal that he possibly gave Alec.
Stephanos never wanted to hurt him in any way. He'd take his life before he willingly hurt his guard, closest friend.
“What's wrong, Alec?” Stephanos questioned, putting his glass down and giving the boy his full attention
“Nothing,” Alec lied easily though after being around him everyday for eons, Stephanos could also easily tell when he was lying
“Don't lie to me, please,” Stephanos whispered, his expression desperate as he watched Alec sigh
“Nothings wrong,” Alec lied once more causing Stephanos’s mind to wonder
“You never lie to me,” Stephanos whispered sadly, causing Alec’s act to break for a second
“I think it's time I take my leave,” Alec mumbled, turning his eyes away from the saddened prince
“Alec,” Stephanos spoke as loudly as he could in his weakened state, to gain his attention,”Please, don't go just talk to me,” he pleaded, he was sure he looked pathetic but it didn't matter. All he cares about is that moment was Alec and Alec alone.
Sighing, Alec turned back around and faced his prince,”Step-”
“What have I done?” Stephanos questioned miserably,”How can I fix this, mio Alec, please tell me?” The use of the nickname caused Alec to tense once more and suddenly his walls began to tumble
He was finally gonna talk about the last thousand years they had together. Finally about to get some sense of clarity he never wished to know before Jasper came into the picture.
“Do you love Jasper?” Alec asked softly, confusing Stephanos greatly
“No,” Stephanos answered immediately, he didn't think he'd ever be able to let himself live another while still containing this phobia and curse. He didn't even know what it felt like to actually love someone. The feeling was completely foreign, the best he could do was compare to what he's seen with his fathers.
“Do you love me?” Alec asked in a small voice, his heart tightening as he awaited an answer
“I don't know what love feels like,” Stephanos muttered, guilt filling him as Alec chuckled but no humor was detected
“It's comical how different those answers were,” Alec whispered, staring at Stephanos for a long moment. The two vampires stared at each other, the blonde in sorrow and guilt, the blacknette in sadness but also fondness,”How were you so sure with him but used loopholes for me?”
“You're confusing me, Alec” Stephanos whispered, shaking his head
“You've confused me for eons,” Alec scoffed, a bitter smile on his face,”And I can't even blame you because you're so unaware of your emotions and my own. It's not even your fault that all of this has happened,” he chuckled slightly, venom consuming his eyes
“Alec, you mean the world to me. I would lose myself without you. You are my everything, I need you,” Stephanos cried, and he was true to his words
Though he didn't understand love or know what it felt like, he knew that he felt a deep connection with Alec and he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he lost him.
Alec knew this. He knew that Stephanos knew no better and technically did love but not in the way Alec did for him. He supposed he was the light of Stephanos's life yet a light that was kept at arms length.
“Perhaps, you should figure out what you want before you come out of isolation. I fear confusion is amongst us all,” Alec muttered and left the room, leaving Stephanos speechless and pondering on his current state of life
“I've just come to the realization that I don't know what I want and am not capable of understanding myself or others,” Stephanos mumbled, sighing into his hands,”I'm lost, papa,” he whispered
“The only way to understand oneself is to look deep inside and reconcile on what used to be and what's present,” Marcus said wisely, offering his son a gentle smile
“I guess I have a lot to ponder,” Stephanos mumbled, and it was then that Marcus knew his son needed some time to himself
“Don't ponder for too long, little one,” Marcus told him softly, and left the room looking at Jasper who sat reading silently,”Let's go for a walk, young one,”