#priley

I was flicking through images and noticed these two together could make the woman yelling at cat meme (in reverse). Eh voilà.

[Image ID: Riley yelling at Monsignor Pruitt while pointing. Monaignor Pruitt yells back.]

“An angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”

Luke 2:9

It wasn’t meant to happen this way. Riley’s appearance had taken Paul by surprise, sudden and unexpected. The Angel attacked Riley before he could react and he wished it had been different. He had hoped he would have time to explain things to Riley beforehand, but he didn’t question the judgment. The door closed gently, guided by his hand, and his eyes met Riley’s. 

“Hush now,” Paul soothed when Riley choked out a sound, eyes wild and fearful. “Don’t fight.”

Riley’s body thrashed weakly, legs trying to find leverage to escape. The weight of the Angel was heavy on top of him and hands kept his arms held against the cold floor. It had to have been painful when he first landed, but he would be alright. A moment of pain in exchange for permanent salvation. He knelt on the floor by Riley’s head and his eyes followed Paul’s movements. 

The Angel made a noise when Paul reached out, ultimately trusting Paul would not try to pull them apart. Instead, his hands cupped Riley’s face. Tears had begun leaking from the corners of his eyes and Paul wiped them away. He wished it didn’t have to hurt or be frightening. 

“You’re going to be alright. You’ll be better than alright,” Paul continued speaking, hoping his voice would distract Riley. “You just have to trust in the Lord, trust his plan. He has you,” He assured and Riley’s shoes scraped harshly at the ground.

The Angel fed deeper from him, making them one. It was a beautiful thing to be touched by the Lord in such a way. After everything Riley had said to him, and the boy he knew before, no one deserved this more than him. He was proof of redemption, someone who had strayed from the path, but wanted to be something better. After Riley was granted this gift, the others would have no choice but to accept Riley as their equal again. 

Soon, all of them would be here with them. He was thankful Riley had been the first to join him, it felt right in a way. It was beautiful that Riley had strayed so far and had been through so much, but he came with Paul before all else. He knew he shouldn’t play favorites, though he had always hoped Riley would be the beginning. 

Riley was growing weaker now and he knew it wouldn’t be long, each movement smaller than the last. His skin had drained of its color to a sickly degree. The light behind his eyes escaped him. His body went still, but it wouldn’t be for long. Seconds ticked by like hours, minutes feeling like days, and finally. The Angel moved off of Riley and retreated when Riley began twitching. 

Paul might have wondered where the Angel had gone if he was less focused on Riley. He looked confused and shaken when he leaned up, his hand moving shakily to touch his neck. His body moved fast, doubling over to the side and emptying his stomach onto the floor. Paul’s hands found Riley’s back and neck to rub them in soothing patterns. 

“You’re okay,” Paul assured him. “It’s normal. You’re going to be okay. This is all a natural part of it, it won’t last long. You should eat, it’ll help.”

“Eat?” Riley choked out once he’d stopped throwing up, his voice broken and confused. 

“Look at me,” Paul encouraged and Riley did turn to face him, to his credit. Paul bit into his own arm hard enough to draw blood and Riley looked disgusted, but growingly intrigued. “I know you want it. Drink.” 

“No,” Riley insisted and looked away, his nostrils flaring. “Absolutely not. I’m not doing that.” 

“You don’t need to hold back from what your body needs, Riley. The force of life is in the blood. Just as you drink the blood of Christ, accept this now too. You feel drawn to it, don’t you? It must hurt by now, the hunger. You can smell it. Hear it. You can basically taste it,” Paul told him, hoping Riley would cave sooner rather than later. “Just one drop.” 

His arm moved closer to Riley and his eyes fell to Paul’s skin again, staring intently at where his blood welled up. Paul was surprised by how much he was resisting, how stubborn he was. Riley had always had a strong spirit, though. He nudged his arm until it was nearly pressed to Riley’s face. 

“Eat, Riley. Please,” He tried again. “I don’t want to have to make you,” He knew it likely already felt like he was.

Paul went to speak once more, cut off by Riley’s hands finding his arm and his mouth connecting with his skin. He lapped at the wound first and Paul’s fingers tightened, helping force more blood from it. He gave in just as Paul knew that he would, despite everything in his body telling him not to. As much as Riley wanted to keep from drinking and no matter how long he put it off, he always folded. He gasped when Riley’s teeth sank into his skin a moment later. 

Riley was wild and frantic with him. The blood didn’t seem to be enough, his teeth all but ripping into Paul’s skin. It was surprising, so different from the gentle nature Riley tended to have. He was usually careful not to hurt others. It seemed like it didn’t bother him at all now, not that Paul minded it. Riley was still young and gaining his restraint. 

He was hungry too, Paul knew how overwhelming it was at first. He had been hungry before, plenty of times, but this change was the first time he had ever felt ravenous. He let Riley treat him this way, able to handle the roughness. He would learn composure over time, he didn’t need to worry about it now. 

Riley didn’t slow. He thought back to how Riley had described his drinking in the past, how it grew almost impossible for him to stop once he started. How he would try to resist the urge during periods of sobriety, but it would become overwhelming and he would pick up the bottle once again. Paul pulled Riley away from it now, though. He stopped him once he’d had enough, not wanting him to make himself sick. Riley whined, of course, and tried to sink his teeth down again. 

If Paul was being honest, he wanted to let Riley drink from him again. His teeth, his tongue, his mouth. It all sent shocks of pleasure through him, tempting him to let him go until neither of them could any longer. He had to put Riley’s health and comfort first, though. He wanted to be selfish, to succumb to that pleasure, but he held back. It was just as hard for him as it was for Riley.

“That’s enough for now. You can have some more later. I don’t want you to overwhelm yourself,” Paul told him and held Riley still. “How do you feel?” 

“My teeth hurt. So does my back,” Riley admitted after his head cleared enough to think, to understand the question. “Everything hurts. The lights are too bright.”