Judge Us Not Equally

Red and white stripes streaked across the packaging of a box sitting atop Adam’s desk, Henry’s favorite place to put his “guess-who’s-home-but-you-knew-that-already-didnt-you” gifts. The lapis blue tag sprawled Adam’s true name in beautiful black calligraphy.

His true gift, however, was heavily poured into a book, the lock on Adam’s door loud enough that should any one come in, he would normally snap right out of his focus.

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be and why?

How do you take your anger out?

Have you ever been severely depressed? If so, why, and how did you handle it?

Who is someone you’ve cut out of your life, or wanted too, and why?

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever worked for?

Have you ever faced discrimination? If so, what was it?

Has someone close to you ever said something that hurt your feelings? If so, what was it, and did they ever make up for it?

Have you ever been hit by someone close to you? If so, who hit you, and did they ever make up for it?

What’s some trauma you have, and how did you get it?

What was the scariest moment you’ve had in public?

What’s the relationship like between you and your parents?

Where do you go to be alone?

Have you ever put your hands on someone? If so, who, and did you ever make up for it?

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done with another person?

Who’s the first person you contact on a lonely night and why?

What’s your biggest regret and why?

If you could pick only one person in your life, who would it be and why?

What gives you nostalgia?

What’s something embarrassing that you enjoy doing, and why is it embarrassing?

He didn’t want to go any more than Henry wanted him to go. Why did things always have to happen when one of them got home? Oh well, he’d add it to the list of reasons to do horrible things to the Fates once he found out where they lived.

“The quicker it’s done the sooner I’ll be back. It shouldn’t be too bad though.”

Henry didn’t answer immediately as his stomach churned. He hesitated the answer. “No coco.” He murmured almost nervously; he didn’t want Adam to worry more than he already did. He sighed softly as he sat up (a slight flinch stopping him at first as he had moved a bit too fast, but then a bit slowly to complete the task).

Henry glanced to Adam with a half smile, a half shrug. “A bath and Netflix binge sounds good, though…”

Adam watched Henry for a moment. 

Sleep was found peacefully enough, even if dreams weren’t. The pain of prior couldn’t be felt nearly as strongly, thanks to the delightful opiots, and yet every touch still illecited a flinch as though either anticipating pain or being struck.

Hee slept off and on in fits of unstirred slumber for at least twelve hours, the bits of waking in panicked anxiety only to look around and relax back into sleep again.

Twelve hours passed and he finally woke from this pattern, his eyes blinking open before the younger sat up with a small frown, but no majorly apparent discomfort. It meant he had done a lot of healing while he slept, enough to heal what major injuries he had sustained.

There was little Adam could do to help while Henry slept. He stayed close and made sure there would be fresh blood when he woke. 

Between his own naps rage came ever closer to the surface. Henry had asked him what the worst thing he had done in his long years was before he had left. Some of what he had imagined doing to the person who had so hurt his husband came close to matching those horrid deeds back in Old Rome. 

He watched the bruises shift and change color, healing was good. Physically, at least, it seemed to be coming along fine..

He swallowed the rage and the fantasies as Henry came to again.

Sleep was found peacefully enough, even if dreams weren’t. The pain of prior couldn’t be felt nearly as strongly, thanks to the delightful opiots, and yet every touch still illecited a flinch as though either anticipating pain or being struck.

Hee slept off and on in fits of unstirred slumber for at least twelve hours, the bits of waking in panicked anxiety only to look around and relax back into sleep again.

Twelve hours passed and he finally woke from this pattern, his eyes blinking open before the younger sat up with a small frown, but no majorly apparent discomfort. It meant he had done a lot of healing while he slept, enough to heal what major injuries he had sustained.

There was little Adam could do to help while Henry slept. He stayed close and made sure there would be fresh blood when he woke. 

Between his own naps rage came ever closer to the surface. Henry had asked him what the worst thing he had done in his long years was before he had left. Some of what he had imagined doing to the person who had so hurt his husband came close to matching those horrid deeds back in Old Rome. 

He watched the bruises shift and change color, healing was good. Physically, at least, it seemed to be coming along fine..

He swallowed the rage and the fantasies as Henry came to again.

Sleep was found peacefully enough, even if dreams weren’t. The pain of prior couldn’t be felt nearly as strongly, thanks to the delightful opiots, and yet every touch still illecited a flinch as though either anticipating pain or being struck.

Hee slept off and on in fits of unstirred slumber for at least twelve hours, the bits of waking in panicked anxiety only to look around and relax back into sleep again.

Twelve hours passed and he finally woke from this pattern, his eyes blinking open before the younger sat up with a small frown, but no majorly apparent discomfort. It meant he had done a lot of healing while he slept, enough to heal what major injuries he had sustained.

There was little Adam could do to help while Henry slept. He stayed close and made sure there would be fresh blood when he woke. 

Between his own naps rage came ever closer to the surface. Henry had asked him what the worst thing he had done in his long years was before he had left. Some of what he had imagined doing to the person who had so hurt his husband came close to matching those horrid deeds back in Old Rome. 

He watched the bruises shift and change color, healing was good. Physically, at least, it seemed to be coming along fine..

He swallowed the rage and the fantasies as Henry came to again.

The younger vampire’s eyes darkened as memory resurfaced. He frowned deeply and looked around. Convinced again that he was safe, and home, he sighed softly and looked up to Adam with a soft sigh. “Was there… any one else with us?” He asked, subconsciously rubbing his own neck where a pair of puncture scars were, with wrists scarred and bruised from shackles.

Actually, he was littered in scars every where. Every where but the side he rubbed. There, only two sat, perfectly in place. Another vampire had bitten him.

Adam didn’t want to bring up ill memories by pointing out the wounds and scars, or to incite his own anger. 

Green eyes looked to Henry.

But Henry meant more to him. He would not leave or risk further injury. Henry’s health came first. 

“ñá-kam-e-zé, ki nìta-dam, ki Sañé"

Hee slept off and on in fits of unstirred slumber for at least twelve hours, the bits of waking in panicked anxiety only to look around and relax back into sleep again.

The younger vampire’s eyes darkened as memory resurfaced. He frowned deeply and looked around. Convinced again that he was safe, and home, he sighed softly and looked up to Adam with a soft sigh. “Was there… any one else with us?” He asked, subconsciously rubbing his own neck where a pair of puncture scars were, with wrists scarred and bruised from shackles.

Actually, he was littered in scars every where. Every where but the side he rubbed. There, only two sat, perfectly in place. Another vampire had bitten him.

Adam didn’t want to bring up ill memories by pointing out the wounds and scars, or to incite his own anger. 

Green eyes looked to Henry.

The younger vampire’s eyes darkened as memory resurfaced. He frowned deeply and looked around. Convinced again that he was safe, and home, he sighed softly and looked up to Adam with a soft sigh. “Was there… any one else with us?” He asked, subconsciously rubbing his own neck where a pair of puncture scars were, with wrists scarred and bruised from shackles.

Actually, he was littered in scars every where. Every where but the side he rubbed. There, only two sat, perfectly in place. Another vampire had bitten him.

Adam didn’t want to bring up ill memories by pointing out the wounds and scars, or to incite his own anger. 

Green eyes looked to Henry.

He watched as Adam knelt, lip curling to expose fangs. As Adam only neared, black eyes tracked him without focus, merely on survival, he was watching Adam’s every move. It was probably for the best he didn’t have enough in him to be able to focus on seeing the movement of curious strays behind Adam as they peeked in.

It was then that something happened. Adam spoke and it wasn’t an order, nor a command but it was a definitive plan. The vicious defence nearly vanished and, while he was still on guard, it was clear Henry was going to be far more compliant.

His brain had recognized what was close enough to a command from his master.

The growling stopped, his talons restricted and his black eyes searched Adam beseechingly. He didn’t recognize his husband. But, then, he wasn’t himself, either. The younger of the two was fasr too tired, too weak, to speak or move…but he was far fro m a threat. His eyes fluttered closed slowly as he became nothing more than a living corpse, blacking out in the safety of his master’s care.

Oh hell. There might be a half dozen reasons Henry stopped fighting, none of the good but he hoped it wasn’t the most obvious possibility. He lifted up his husband and headed to their privet quarters. IVs would be the quickest way to get blood into him, but were also the quickest to cause further injury in a moment of half-consciousness. He set the idea aside for the immediate time. 

The silver solvent had to be first to treat the wound on his hand. The herbal wraps and bandages both for the hand and to ease other wounds. Balms to sooth pain. Whatever had happened to Henry had been vicious and cruel. It was difficult to swallow his anger for the time being, far more important to get Henry fit enough to wake up. That he could have helped also had to be pushed out of his mind. Before Henry left he had made it clear this was something he had had to do on his own. 

Then, once his mind and body had healed a little bit more (enough for him to, finally, rest), he simply slept. The vampire slept but not happily. Soft whimpering and cries of pain accompanied even the slightest movement, breathing included, and occasionally came out of the blue. Nightmares plagued him even with Adam right next to him whispering and singing. Nothing helped to relieve them in the slightest bit.

That all lasted a day or so, Henry waking periodically but not consciously aware of his surroundings nor responsive to anything other than, possibly, a direct order from only Adam. He quickly would black back out.

A gentle touch came when he was sure Henry was awake. He didn’t want to panic him if he was half-dreaming.

“Hey Love… I’ll get the pain killer..”

He had left it on the dresser, just a few steps away. He mixed a few drops into a glass of hot blood and if the offered blood wasn’t welcome at the moment he brought the vial back to the bed.